New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a probe into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) by an institution founded by Ladakh-based educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk, officials said on Thursday.
Officials noted that while the inquiry has been ongoing for some time, no FIR has yet been registered.
Speaking to the media, Wangchuk said a CBI team visited about 10 days ago with “an order,” stating that they were acting on a complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding alleged FCRA violations at the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL).
“The order claimed we had not obtained FCRA clearance to receive foreign funds. We do not rely on foreign funding; rather, we export knowledge and generate revenue. In three instances, they considered this as foreign contribution,” Wangchuk explained.
He added that the CBI team recently visited HIAL and the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) to examine details of foreign funds received between 2022 and 2024. The teams remain in Ladakh reviewing accounts and statements.
Wangchuk maintained that the matters cited in the complaint were legitimate service agreements with all taxes duly paid. These involved India exporting knowledge to the United Nations, a Swiss university, and an Italian organization.
“It was a very dignified assignment. After seeing it, they understood it wasn’t a violation. Yet they began requesting accounts from outside the mandated period. Their mandate was to check 2022-24, but they also asked for 2020 and 2021 records and even requested documents from schools outside the scope of the complaint,” he alleged.
Both HIAL and SECMOL provide free education to underprivileged students, with HIAL students receiving stipends for their work on various projects.
“The CBI officers are still in Ladakh, thoroughly reviewing records, but they have not questioned me personally,” Wangchuk said.
He alleged that this CBI action followed earlier moves against him, including a sedition case filed by local police and the withdrawal of land allocated for HIAL due to alleged non-payment of lease fees. Wangchuk claimed the government had previously asked them to continue construction, acknowledging that the lease policy was not formalized.
“The CBI action was followed by income tax summons. Interestingly, Ladakh has no tax, yet I voluntarily pay taxes and still receive summons. They even revived a four-year-old complaint about labor payments. It feels like a coordinated onslaught from all sides,” he said.
Wangchuk had begun a hunger strike on September 10, demanding Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule and statehood.
The region witnessed its worst violence since 1989 on Wednesday, when groups of youths set fire to vehicles and vandalized the BJP headquarters and the Hill Council. Police and paramilitary forces deployed teargas to restore order, officials said.
