Greenpeace says India operating licence scrapped amid ongoing battle with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government

Greenpeace said on Friday Indian authorities have scrapped its licence to operate in the country, the latest in an ongoing battle between the environmental group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Greenpeace said it had received an order from the southern Tamil Nadu state’s Registrar of Societies department summarily announcing the cancellation of its registration as a society.

The NGO is at loggerheads with the Modi-led government over claims of environmental damage caused by India’s heavy reliance on coal and the impact of deforestation and nuclear projects.

In a statement, senior Greenpeace India official Vinuta Gopal said the move “is the latest assault on free speech in India”.

“The RoS [Registrar of Societies] is clearly acting under directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi, which has been trying to shut Greenpeace India down for over a year now,” Gopal said.

“This is an extension of the deep intolerance for differing viewpoints that sections of this government seem to harbour.” A spokesperson of the group said that it would challenge the order in court.

Non-governmental organisations can have licences in multiple Indian states, but the cancellation of Greenpeace’s only licence means it cannot operate in India unless the order is reversed.