CBI Probes FCRA Violation Allegations Against Sonam Wangchuk’s Institution Amid Rising Tensions In Ladakh

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched an inquiry into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) by the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), an institution founded by educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, reported PTI.

While the probe has been ongoing for some time, no FIR has yet been registered.

Wangchuk told PTI that a CBI team visited him with "an order” about 10 days ago, acting on a complaint filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The complaint alleged that HIAL had received foreign contributions without the necessary clearance.

“The order said we have not taken clearance under FCRA to receive foreign funds. We don’t want to be dependent on foreign funds, but we export our knowledge and raise revenue. In three such instances, they thought it was foreign contribution,” Wangchuk was quoted as saying by PTI.

According to him, CBI teams examined accounts of HIAL and the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) for the period 2022–24, but later began demanding records from earlier years.

He alleged investigators also sought documents from a school outside the complaint’s purview. Both institutions, he noted, provide free education to underprivileged students.

Wangchuk claimed the agreements under scrutiny involved services provided to the United Nations, a Swiss university, and an Italian organisation, with taxes duly paid.

The teams are still camping in Ladakh and going through accounts and statements of the organisations.

The inquiry comes amid Ladakh’s worsening unrest, which escalated this week into violent protests over demands for statehood and constitutional safeguards.

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