The Home Ministry on Tuesday served a show cause notice to Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), for cancelling its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence, which allowed it to receive foreign funds. A senior Ministry official said the cancellation notice was a logical step after Naik’s NGO was put under the prior permission category on August 8. The official said a response has been sought from the IRF on the cancellation notice.
In another development, the Ministry put another NGO run by Naik, the IRF Educational Trust, under the prior permission category. This means the NGO cannot receive any foreign funds without the clearance of the Home Ministry. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also been asked to inform it of every transaction.
Naik had come under the scanner after it was revealed that at least two alleged terrorists involved in the attack at a Dhaka cafe in July this year were followers of his fiery speeches. The Home Ministry has also initiated another procedure to declare IRF a terrorist organisation under the UAPA.
‘Zakir was using funds for radicalisation’
The Home Ministry notice against Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s NGO came after different investigations found him utilising the foreign funds it received for alleged radicalisation of youth and “inspiring” them into terror activities, an official said. Interestingly, the Islamic Research Foundation’s registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act was renewed in September inadvertently despite multiple probes, leading to suspension of a Joint Secretary and four other officials in the Home Ministry.
The government is also in the process of declaring IRF as an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and a nod from the Union Cabinet is awaited for it. Mr. Naik also allegedly transferred IRF’s foreign funds to Peace TV for making “objectionable” programmes. Most of the programmes, which were made in India, contained alleged hate speeches of Mr. Naik. Naik came under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper 'Daily Star' reported that one of the perpetrators of the July 1 terror attack in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz, ran propaganda on Facebook, quoting Naik
