No proof against Dr Zakir Naik; security agencies asked to probe deeper

Mangaluru, Sep 1: Even after two months of rigorous investigation the security agencies have not found any solid evidence against Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik, who is accused by a section of media of inspiring terrorists and violating foreign funding norms.

No violations

Highly placed sources said that the Islamic Research Foundation, the NGO run by Dr Naik, has almost come out clean on foreign donations received. In its reply submitted before the home ministry last week, Dr Naik's NGO has given details of funds reportedly received in 2014 from Dubai with an explanation on expenditure, a senior MHA official said on the condition of anonymity.

The NGO has received nearly Rs 93 lakh from Dubai in 2014. Naik's spokesperson Arif Malik said: "In 2014-15, MHA carried out inspection of our accounts and foreign donation utilisation and after three weeks of exhaustive investigations gave us a clean chit.

Still the NGO is facing the threat of ban under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) after solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs asking it to take action against the televangelist.

Probe to be intensified

Meanwhile, the security agencies have been asked to analyse Dr Naik's speeches in a more comprehensive manner and conduct a more exhaustive probe before any decision is taken on whether to gag him and ban his NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), as an unlawful association.

The development comes with the Law Ministry advising the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which has jurisdiction over security agencies, that not enough evidence is on record to proceed against Naik.

“We have been advised to analyse a larger number of speeches delivered by Naik to arrive at a clearer picture of whether he is liable for any action. While several of his speeches have already been analysed, we will now have to go through as many of his speeches as is possible – not all his speeches might be easily available,” a source in the MHA said.

The process could take weeks, or even months, as it is “extremely laborious”. The source said, “Videos of Naik's speeches available in the public domain will have to be authenticated to prove they are not doctored in any way, and then they will have to be carefully transcribed.”

Terror allegations

Meanwhile, security agencies have claimed that nearly 55 terror accused, arrested from across the country over the past decade, have reportedly been influenced by Dr Naik, or at least they have watched Dr Naik's speeches. These terror accused include those who were picked up as far back as 2005. However the agencies have failed to produce any proof for their claims.

Dr Naik's lawyer has refuted these allegations and said that if his speeches are seen in their full context, no one would conclude that he had inspired people to commit acts of terror. Those leveling allegations against Naik might have relied upon doctored speeches available on the Internet, and not on the entire speech, his lawyer had earlier said.