NEW DELHI- Indian police raided the offices and homes of two top human rights lawyers today in an investigation into foreign funding for their NGO, prompting criticism they were being targeted for political reasons.

The Central Bureau of Investigation conducted searches relating to a case filed against the non-profit Lawyers Collective and its president, Anand Grover, for allegedly violating laws on foreign funds, a police official said.In a statement issued in June, after the CBI registered a complaint against the group, Lawyers Collective said it was being targeted for taking up sensitive cases against Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some of its leaders.

Founded in 1981 by Grover and prominent human rights lawyer Indira Jaising, Lawyers Collective is among the thousands of foreign-funded charities hit by increased scrutiny by the Narendra Modi government. “The searches are ongoing,” said the CBI official, who declined to be named. Grover told Reuters CBI conducted raids at his offices and homes in Delhi and Mumbai. The CBI alleges that Lawyers Collective and Grover have violated the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA), aside from other wrongdoing, which the group has denied.(Reuters)…[+]