CBI books Arunachal anti-dam activist Bhanu Tatak over FCRA violations

According to the first information report (FIR), the CBI alleged that Tatak received more than ₹17.6 lakh from various foreign organisations

Updated on: Sep 15, 2026, 19:08:22 IST

By HT Correspondent, Neeraj Chauhan, Itanagar

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against Arunachal Pradesh-based lawyer and environmental activist Bhanu Tatak for allegedly receiving over ₹17.6 lakh from foreign organisations and individuals in violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), officials said.

Tatak said she was a recipient of the Bhagirath Prayas Samman Award, India 2023, for her work in river conservation. (Facebook)

Tatak, legal adviser to the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF) and coordinator of civil society organisation Dibang Resistance, was associated with protests against major hydropower projects proposed in the northeastern state.

According to the first information report (FIR), the CBI alleged that Tatak received more than ₹17.6 lakh from various foreign organisations and individuals directly into her personal savings bank account without obtaining the registration or prior permission required under the FCRA.

The agency named several overseas entities as alleged sources of the funds, including Philippines-based Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy and Indigenous Peoples Rights International, Ireland-based Front Line and UK-based Human Rights Resource Centre.

CBI launched a probe in the matter on the direction of ministry of home affairs (MHA).

According to the first FIR, filed on August 20 naming Tatak and unknown persons as accused, CBI has alleged that between 2022 and 2025, she received ₹20.94 lakh in her bank account maintained in the State Bank of India, Roing branch, through forex transactions.

“Such foreign funds are being utilized to organize and sustain anti-dam protests in Arunachal Pradesh against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) and Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project, thereby adversely affecting economic and strategic interests of the country,” the FIR, seen by HT, alleges.

The agency alleged that Tatak has not filed any ITR between 2017-18 and 2025-26 and “therefore has not made any declaration with respect to the receipt of the funds from the foreign entities.”

Before registering the FIR, CBI had conducted a preliminary enquiry (PE) - a precursor to the formal case, to ascertain the charges.

In September 2025, Tatak was stopped by immigration authorities at Delhi airport from boarding a flight to Ireland following a lookout circular issued against her by the Arunachal Pradesh police.

She was scheduled to attend a three-month academic programme at Dublin City University.

The CBI further alleged that Tatak did not file income tax returns and that the foreign contributions received by her were not reflected in official records.

The agency claimed that the funds were allegedly used to “organise and sustain anti-dam protests” in Arunachal Pradesh, which, according to it, were adversely affecting the country’s economic and strategic interests.

Responding to the allegations, Tatak said the matter was under investigation and that she was fully cooperating with the investigating authorities.

“I am a law-abiding citizen and have committed no violation of the law,” she told HT.

Tatak said she was a recipient of the Bhagirath Prayas Samman Award, India 2023, for her work in river conservation, besides educational and research scholarships. The award was presented to Tatak and Dibang Resistance at the 10th India Rivers Week function held at BAIF in Maharashtra in November 2023.

Tatak and the organisations she is associated with have been opposing the proposed 12,500-MW Siang Multipurpose Project on the Siang River. Dibang Resistance has also opposed the 2,880-MW hydropower project on the Dibang River.

Tatak joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in Itanagar on December 2, 2025.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More

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