Final warning: Child rights body summons Amazon India head for 'funding' religious group

New Delhi: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has issued summons to global senior vice president and country head of Amazon India Amit Agarwal for allegedly funding All India Mission, a religious organisation that a complainant has claimed is involved in ‘unlawful practices’.

The child rights body issued a warning of legal action if Agarwal fails to appear before it for questioning on November 1.

What does NCPCR notice to Amazon India say?

In a notice issued to Amazon India on September 16, the NCPCR sought explanation from the company for allegedly funding All India Mission.

NCPCR said that it has received a complaint from the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Social Justice Forum, Arunachal Pradesh, alleging that All India Mission is involved in “unlawful practices” by “illegally converting children in India”.

The child rights body had requested Amazon India to look into the matter and furnish certain details about All India Mission and other orphanages funded by the company.

The NCPCR further requested Amazon India to submit an action taken report, within seven days. “However, no reply has been received from your good offices in the matter so far,” the commission added.

But Amazon India did not respond to the letter after which NCPCR summoned Agarwal to explain the reasons for the delay in submission of the report. Also, it has been asked to inform the child rights body about the action taken in the matter.

Complaint NCPCR received from Arunachal Pradesh’s NGO

The NCPCR had said that it has received a complaint that stated, “All India Mission has more than 100 orphanages across India. As per the complaint, the website and social media pages of the said organisation clearly state that they aim to convert the people in India and also claim that they have already converted many people in India already especially in North East India and Jharkhand.”

It further alleged that as per the complaint, the said organisation is getting charity funds from Amazon India. “It has been also written in the complaint that Amazon India has mentioned on its platform that its customers can support All India Mission by shopping at AmazonSmile,” the NCPCR said.

‘All India Mission sending money to ‘illegal’ children homes where they are converted’

NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said that the child rights body had received a complaint that a percentage of profit gained out of the sale of goods through a multinational company Amazon is being given as donation to an NGO named All India Mission.

सितम्बर महीने में @NCPCR_ को शिकायत प्राप्त हुई थी कि,एक बहुराष्ट्रीय कम्पनी Amazon के माध्यम से होने वाली सामान की बिक्री में से एक निश्चित राशि दान के रूप में ऑल इंडिया मिशन नामक NGO को दी जाती है।
शिकायत थी कि AIM अनाथ बच्चों के नाम पर यह पैसा ले कर बच्चों को अवैध बाल गृहों..

— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) October 21, 2022

He added that there was a complaint that All India Mission took the money in the name of orphan children and sent the children to illegal children's homes, where they were converted.

परंतु लगातार अवेहलना करने व उत्तर न देने पर उनके प्रमुख अधिकारी को सम्मन जारी कर @NCPCR_ में उपस्थित होने व जाँच में सहयोग करने के लिए निर्देश दिया गया है।
तदानुसार आगामी कार्यवाही की जाएगी।

— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) October 21, 2022

‘A company of false propagandas’

In his tweet, Kanoongo said that All India Mission works towards spreading false propaganda against India in foreign countries.

He went on to say that after the matter came to notice and the investigation was initiated, “All India Mission stopped visiting its website in India, and tried to influence the investigation as well as destroy the evidence, which in itself is a serious offence.”

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.