India’s reaction came after Turkish Consul General Erdal Sabri Ergen in Mumbai told reporters that his country has requested Indian and Maharashtra governments that all institutions in Mumbai and elsewhere, connected with this network be closed.
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Last month, Turkish Ambassador to India Burak Akcapar had first demanded the Indian government to act against the Gulen organisation which he termed as “a terror organisation”. Turkey expects the U.S.to rethink its position on Fetullah Gulen after witnessing the participation of millions of people at pro-democracy rallies, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said in Ankara on Monday, APA reports quoting Anadolu Agency. “They provide money and support to overall organisations”, he added, as per ANI.
Gulen is being sought by an Istanbul court to face charges, and Turkey has made an official request to Washington for his extradition.
When pressed for details, the Turkey Consul General said, “For legal reasons I can not be specific”. “The purge of his supporters, found to be involved in the coup bid, will continue and we want the Indian government and state government to probe the activities of its affiliated institutions and shut them”. Over 13,000 people have been detained in connection with the coup, while about 250 people died during the coup attempt.
The government has accused the coup leaders of being linked to the Gulen movement – a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the Turkish government. A Turkish cleric living in self-imposed exile in US’s Pennsylvania, Gulen leads the popular Hizmet movement.
On July 15 this year, a coup was attempted in Turkey and was carried out by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that organised themselves under a council called the Peace at Home Council.
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The Turkish officials have warned that a failure to extradite Gulen would have long-term consequences for Turkish-US diplomatic relations.
