New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has searched properties linked to climate activists Harjeet Singh and Sanjay Vashist – arresting the former who has now got bail – in a move that has come mere months after the National Investigation Agency’s arrest and incarceration of Ladakh climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.The ED’s statement, quoted in Hindustan Times, claims that the action was prompted by intelligence received during the COP30 summit in Brazil, which was attended by several Indian activists, journalists and government officials, including Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav.Hindustan Times has quoted officers who have claimed that they learnt at the UN climate summit that “certain climate activists were jeopardising India’s position on issues such as the use of fossil fuels.”Searches were carried out on Monday, January 5, at Singh’s residence, that of his wife Jyoti Awasthi, and the offices of their NGO, Satat Sampada, in Delhi and Ghaziabad, claiming violations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999. As part of the same probe, the agency also searched the residence of Vashist, who is the director of Climate Action Network, South Asia.Both of them, with decades of experience in climate policy, have been vocal advocates of climate justice, especially in the Global South.Following the search, Singh was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh excise department in Ghaziabad. It is noteworthy that what led to his arrest was reportedly his Indian and foreign-made liquor bottles that the excise department held was “beyond permissible limits” – reportedly about 45 litres. He was granted bail the next day by the Ghaziabad district court, on the merits of the case.“We received intelligence around the COP30 that some climate activists were campaigning against fossil fuels at the behest of some foreign organisations… This is when we decided to look at his foreign funding,” said an officer at the agency, quoted anonymously in the HT report. Protests against fossil fuels were a defining feature of the 2025 COP, with hundreds of activists and organisations calling for the transition to clean energy.Singh’s NGO has released a statement denying the allegations, calling them “baseless, biased, and misleading.”ED’s allegationsIn a statement, the ED said that “suspicious foreign inward remittances” worth Rs 6 crore were received by Singh’s organisation allegedly under the “garb of consultancy charges”, from foreign entities including Climate Action Network (CAN) and Stand.Earth etc., “which have in-turn received huge funds from Prior Reference Category NGOs like Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors”. Donors categorised under the “prior reference category” require the approval of the home ministry to fund Indian NGOs or individuals.The statement added, “However, cross-verification of filings made by the remitters abroad indicates that the funds were actually intended to promote the agenda of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FF-NPT) within India.”“FF-NPT is a proposed international treaty aiming to phase out fossil fuel production. While presented as a climate initiative, its adoption could expose India to legal challenges in international forums like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and severely compromise the nation’s energy security and economic development,” it stated, as quoted by HT.FFNPT is a global civil society and diplomatic initiative proposing a legally binding international agreement to end the expansion of coal, oil, and gas, manage a fair phase-out of existing production, and accelerate a just transition to renewable energy. It sees such action as necessary in a warming world affected by climate change.Pakistan and BangladeshThe agency further stated that it is also investigating Singh’s visit to Pakistan in February 2025 for the ‘Breathe Pakistan Summit’ – the same climate conference to which Sonam Wangchuk had also travelled – and to Bangladesh in December 2025 “during a period of anti-India protests”, where he delivered a lecture at Sher-e-Bangla University “without any official invitation and met various individuals unconnected to the stated purpose”.“The funding for these trips is also under scrutiny,” the ED said.Meanwhile, Satat Sampada, in its statement, clarified that these visits were strictly professional.“It is important to clarify that he (Singh) has travelled internationally for the past two decades to participate in climate-related conferences, summits and policy forums. These visits were undertaken strictly in a professional capacity, where he has consistently represented the concerns of developing countries and highlighted India’s progress in renewable energy and climate action. His work and contributions are well documented across print, digital, television and social media, as well as public platforms,” the NGO stated.Another officer told HT anonymously that “similar activists or organisations whose climate campaigns may be inimical to India’s energy security are under the scanner”.