ISLAMABAD: Indian authorities have detained a prominent climate activist who attended a climate conference in Pakistan, accusing him of using foreign funding to undermine India’s energy security, allegations his organization and international partners reject as politically motivated.
Harjeet Singh was detained on January 5 after raids on his organization’s offices and his home in the Delhi region, according to a press release from India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED), the country’s top financial crimes agency. The ED alleged Singh channeled overseas funds to promote opposition to fossil fuel projects in India.
Singh was initially arrested by the Uttar Pradesh state excise department on charges of possessing liquor beyond legal limits, the ED said. He was later granted bail, according to AFP, citing a statement from his organization, Satat Sampada.
Foreign funding claims
The ED said it searched premises linked to Satat Sampada Private Limited, a company Singh co-founded with his wife, Jyoti Awasthi, alleging it received more than $666,000 in foreign funds between 2021 and 2025. The agency claimed the money was routed as “consultancy charges” from international climate groups and was “actually intended to promote the agenda of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FF-NPT) within India.”
Adoption of the treaty, which calls for a phase-out of fossil fuel production, “could expose India to legal challenges in international forums like the International Court of Justice and severely compromise the nation’s energy security and economic development,” the ED statement said.
The agency further alleged Satat Sampada operated as “a front for foreign-influenced activism” and that Singh and Awasthi diverted funds for personal use, claims the organization strongly denies.
‘Baseless’ allegations
“We categorically state that the allegations being reported are baseless, biased and misleading,” Satat Sampada said in a statement issued late Wednesday, adding it had fully cooperated with investigators.
The organization said Singh’s international travel was routine professional engagement, noting he has attended climate conferences for more than two decades.
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative also pushed back, saying: “Our work consists of building mechanisms for just, orderly and equitable energy transitions,” and rejecting suggestions of improper political interference.
Pakistan visit under scrutiny
The ED said it is investigating Singh’s February 2025 visit to Pakistan for the “Breathe Pakistan Summit” and the people he met there. Singh spoke at Dawn Media’s Breathe Pakistan International Climate Change Conference, which brought together nearly 100 regional and international experts to discuss climate finance and cooperation, according to the event’s website.
The scrutiny of Singh’s Pakistan visit comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. The two nuclear-armed neighbors came close to a full-scale military confrontation in May following the Pahalgam incident in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Hostilities subsided after a US-brokered ceasefire, but relations between the two countries have remained strained since then.
Authorities are also examining Singh’s December 2025 visit to Bangladesh “during a period of anti-India protests,” alleging he delivered a lecture without an official invitation.
“The funding for these trips is also under scrutiny,” the ED said.
Pattern of pressure
Another Indian speaker at the Pakistan conference, engineer and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk, remains detained under India’s National Security Act in Jodhpur Central Jail. He has been in custody for more than 100 days as of January 2026, after authorities accused him of inciting violence during protests in Ladakh, charges he and his legal team deny.
A habeas corpus petition filed by Wangchuk’s wife calls the detention “illegal” and based on “stale FIRs, vague imputations, and speculative assertions,” according to court filings. India’s Supreme Court is hearing the case.
Rights advocates argue the actions against Singh and Wangchuk signal a broader crackdown on dissent and climate activism, particularly when it intersects with international engagement. An accusation Indian authorities reject as investigations continue.
