The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted raids at the residence, office and non-government organisations (NGOs) run by retired Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer and activist Harsh Mander in Delhi after registering a money laundering case. The raids come hours after Mander left for Germany along with his wife. The raid began at 8 am at his residence in Vasant Kunj and his office at the Centre for Equity Studies office in Adhchini. According to a Indian Express report, Tthe hildren’s home run by the activist in Mehrauli was also reportedly raided by the ED.
Around 3:30 am Thursday, Mander left for Germany for a fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin. He serves as the director of the Centre for Equity Studies. In July, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) told the Delhi High Court that it recommended action against the two children’s homes linked to the activist after finding various violations and discrepancies on part of the management. One of the violations mentioned by NCPCR in its reply to the court is that they were informed by the children that they had been taken to protest sites, including Jantar Mantar. Two children homes -- Umeed Aman Ghar, a home for boys, and Khushi Rainbow Home, a residence for girls, based in south Delhi, are said to be run by Centre for Equity Studies (CES), where Mander is a director.