IUML bats for Zakir Naik, says he is being hunted

Indian government authorities are also examining the recordings of Zakir Naik, Islamic preacher and motivator of the Dhaka killers, before taking any action against him.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan had on Saturday said Bangladesh’s intelligence agencies were investigating the Islamic preacher Naik.

Everything, including Naik’s speeches, his social media accounts, sources of funding (of a foundation run by him in Mumbai) will be scrutinised, said Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio.

“I totally disagree (with suggestion) that I inspired this act of killing innocent people”. Col. Rathore said the Home Ministry has also been asked to keep a track and report to the I&B Ministry on any such broadcast.

“Already there are certain complaints from the Maulanas of Bangladesh that his (Naik) teachings are not in line with the Quranic teachings and Hadith”, information minister Hasanul Haq Inu said on Wednesday.

Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu indicated that Naik could face action if his preachings and teachings were found to be objectionable. Though the TV channel is banned in India, it is illegally made available by some cable TV operators. The paper however did correct a report where they had erroneously claimed that Dr Naik was banned in Malaysia. “I am happy to hear that he (Naik) is spreading message of peace all over the world”, Singh said, praising the scholar in the controversial video.

The move by the Centre came a day after the Maharashtra government ordered a probe into the sermons by the 50-year-old televangelist that has kicked up a storm.

For the infamous July 1 Dhaka siege, two of the seven young militants, who struck at an upscale cafe in Dhaka’s diplomatic Gulshan enclave, were reportedly inspired by the Salafi tele-evangelist’s speeches.

However, about his case in the UK, Naik himself said: “The only country that I am officially aware of ban, once from entering, was UK”.

The Islamic scholars in Bangladesh had past year demanded a ban on the channel, saying it was misleading the Muslims all over the world.