The Union home ministry has revoked the foreign funding licence of the Church of North India, one of the country’s oldest evangelical organisations, over alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), ministry sources said on Monday.

The Church of North India runs several schools and colleges across the country.

“The FRCA licence of the Church of India has been revoked in the wake of alleged violation of FCRA provisions. A probe is under way,” a ministry official said without revealing the specific violation alleged.

FCRA registration is mandatory for any NGO or association if it has to receive foreign funds. Around 16,900 NGOs or associations in the country currently have FCRA licences.

Over the past eight years, the Centre has tightened the rules and procedures for NGOs to receive and use foreign funds. Ministry sources said the FCRA licences of over 7,000 NGOs had been cancelled in the last four years for FCRA violations.

The crackdown has led several civil society groups to accuse the Centre of trying to stifle dissent.

In July, the Constitutional Conduct Group of retired civil servants had in an open letter to Union home minister Amit Shah expressed deep concern at the “harassment” of NGOs in the country on the charge of FCRA violations.

The letter had urged Shah to take steps to “cease needless harassment of organisations serving people of India, especially its most marginalised and disadvantaged sections”.