Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai admits her ticket was funded by Greenpeace International

NEW DELHI: The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has told the Home Ministry that it issued a look-out notice against Greenpeace India activist Priya Pillai on January 9, after learning that she was travelling to UK on January 11 on a ticket funded by Greenpeace International. The IB said this was a violation since the Indian arm of Greenpeace stands restricted from taking foreign funding except after the government's express nod.

"Yes, my ticket to UK was paid by Greenpeace International. But that is immaterial," Pillai told ET, admitting the main contention put forward by the IB. But she was quick to add that the government still had lot of explaining to do. "The government is trying to deviate from the core issue on why it curtailed by right to free movement. Who paid for the ticket is now a now a new excuse which the government has come up with. Why was the Look Out Notice not served on me on the 9th or the 10th. Rather I had to discover the same at the airport on January 11?" Pillai asked.

IB has told the Home Ministry that its step to restrict Pillai's foreign travel is in order. In a report to the Ministry, IB said Greenpeace India was last year put in the ‘prior permission’ category whereby each foreign contribution to it needs a Home Ministry nod. The IB however says it got information that Pillai would be travelling to UK to address British parliamentarians on January 11 and her trip was funded by Greenpeace International for which no prior permission was taken. IB hence issued a look-out notice on January 9 since the trip would be a violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and she was subsequently stopped from travelling to the UK at the Delhi airport two days later.

The IB has said as per guidelines issued by the Home Ministry in 2010, an officer in rank of assistant director in the IB is authorised to issue look-out circulars for any individual on the basis of inputs received -- which followed a High Court order in this regard. “There were national security considerations,” the IB has said. It has added that Pillai has been on IB’s radar since being named in a report submitted to the government last year and her activities have been monitored. "They are only trying to silence dissent. This is autocratic," Pillai told ET.