Oxfam India among major NGOs raided in crackdown by Indian authorities

Raids on two nonprofits and a think tank termed ‘searches’ and ‘surveys’ by tax authorities

Indian tax authorities have conducted widespread raids spanning “100-plus locations” on the offices of two nonprofits and a foundation that funds several independent media organisations.

The tax authorities have alleged irregularities in financial transactions as reasons for the raid on global nonprofit Oxfam, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a major think tank, and the Independent and Public Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF), which funds several media outlets, some of which have been critical of the government.

The raids conducted on Wednesday at the offices of Oxfam and CPR in Delhi and IPSMF in Bengaluru were dubbed “searches” and “surveys” by tax authorities.