Joshi goes missing, leaves behind note alleging harassment

Anand Joshi, Under Secretary in the Union Home Ministry who was under scanner for FCRA notices to NGOs, today went missing from his residence here, leaving behind a note claiming he was facing "mental harassment" and had made too many "enemies" while serving the nation.
After CBI registered a case against him, Joshi had yesterday claimed that he was pressurised by his superior to give clean chit to some of the NGOs who were served FCRA notices, including the Ford Foundation.
He was last seen around 2 AM, following which he went to sleep, his wife Minakshi Sharma said at their residence in Indirapuram.

"When I woke up around 7.30 AM, the main door was ajar and he (Joshi) wasn't there. I later found the note he left behind," she said.
Police teams rushed to the senior officer's house and his wife's statement was recorded. The police also took a copy of the note which Joshi left behind, a senior police official said.
In the Hindi note addressing his wife, Joshi said, "I have been going through extremely high mental harassment for the past few months but now the situation has got out of hand... At this moment I need peace and that is not possible here.

"I am leaving home and please do not look for me. You (Minakshi) are now both a father and a mother to our children."

"The dedication and integrity with which I was serving the nation, I had never imagined that this would happen to me... While serving my nation, I have probably made too many enemies."
A case was registered against Joshi by CBI in connection with Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, (FCRA) notices to NGOs. His house was searched by the agency yesterday.
Joshi had claimed that he was "being pressurised and threatened by Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry B K Prasad to give clean chit to some of the NGOs" which he had refused to obey.

(Reopens DEL 32)
Sources said Joshi allegedly had sent notices to around 60 NGOs for "violation" of various provisions of FCRA after taking prior approval of his seniors in November 2015.
They said few of Joshi's seniors in the Home Ministry have come under scanner and may be questioned by investigators for their role in sending the notices to the NGOs.
Joshi's role came under scanner after a few files pertaining to the alleged FCRA violations by two NGOs run by social activist Teesta Setalvad went missing from the Home Ministry. The files were traced and restored in the FCRA division but CBI was asked to investigate the matter.

Joshi had yesterday claimed CBI has not found anything from him and denied that he had taken any file to his home.
"All files were found in the Home Ministry itself. It can be verified after checking the CCTV cameras. It is a conspiracy against me. I have given adverse opinion against many NGOs including Greenpeace, Ford Foundation and two NGOs of Teesta Setalvad," he had said.
The sources said missing of files was noticed when the Home Ministry took a decision to cancel FCRA registration of one of Setalvad's NGOs, Sabrang Trust.
Sabrang Trust's licence was suspended on September 9, 2015 by MHA and it asked for an explanation from the firm, failing which FCRA registration would have been cancelled in 180 days.

Setalvad filed her reply in October and the deadline given by MHA expired in March.
When Home Ministry officials found that the files had gone missing, they conducted an inquiry and identified the official who had taken away the files. He was summoned and the files were restored.