India News | Never Received Foreign Funds, Says IPSMF After I-T Dept Survey

New Delhi/Bengaluru, Sep 9 (PTI) Bengaluru-based Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) Friday said it received "no foreign funds at any stage" after the Income Tax department conducted a survey operation against the organisation this week.

The department had undertaken the surprise operation at the office of the foundation on September 7.

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IPSMF said tax officials stayed back till 4.30 this morning, going through the papers and records of the Foundation and asking questions.

"The Foundation believes that its affairs are entirely in order. Some media reporting on the I-T survey has linked it to foreign funding and the funding of political parties.

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"We wish to make it clear that the Foundation has received no foreign funds at any stage, and has funded only media entities," IPSMF chairman T N Ninan said in a statement issued to media organisations.

The statement said the Foundation believes in its mission of supporting independent and public-spirited media and intends to continue its work.

It said the IPSMF staff were cooperative and answered all questions put to them by the I-T officials on a wide range of matters.

"The officials took statements from three senior staff members. All laptops and mobile phones were taken for cloning data in them and returned last night.

"All staff other than the CEO, Sunil Rajshekhar, were allowed to go home at various stages in the evening/night of September 7, and asked to return the following morning for further questioning," it said.

The CEO slept in the office for a few hours on the intervening night of September 7 and 8, the statement said.

"The Board of Trustees compliments the staff on their good cheer and fortitude through the extended proceedings," it added, saying the tax officials were courteous during their survey work.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)