600 activists, academics collectively condemn raids on Harsh Mander’s premises

In a public statement released on Thursday, at least 600 activists, academics, and artists have condemned Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raids on Harsh Mander’s premises in Delhi earlier in the day.

Signatories of the statement include figures such as Medha Patkar, Indira Jaising, Nandini Sundar, Akash Banerjee, and Dev Benegal.

The ED carried out searches on Mander’s residence in Vasant Kunj and the offices of the Centre of Equity Studies (CES) Delhi, which he heads, in connection with a money laundering investigation.

The searches were carried out hours after Mander left for Germany for a six-month fellowship programme at the Robert Bosch Academy.

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“Over the past year, Harsh Mander and the CES have been subjected to continued harassment by multiple state agencies. The false and malicious allegations by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) were definitively countered by the Delhi Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), a statutory body, which has filed a strong affidavit in the Delhi high court, putting an end to the false allegations against CES,” the statement read.

It said that the raids were conducted to harass Mander, a leading human rights and peace activist who has worked actively for peace and harmony, and has consistently upheld the “highest moral standards of honesty and probity”.

The statement said, “We stand with Harsh Mander and with each person associated with the Centre for Equity Studies. The Constitution of India and the law of the land shall prevail, exposing these intimidatory tactics exactly for what they are – an abuse of state institutions to try and curtail all our rights.”