NIA blocks IRF website, to block other related content soon

Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency on Monday blocked the website of the Islamic Research Foundation and also began the process of taking all content related to the IRF off the internet.

The NIA had on Friday registered an FIR against the NIA under the Indian Penal Code as well as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Earlier last week, the Central Government had also declared the IRF unlawful based on reports of inquiries submitted by the Maharashtra government as well as various central agencies.

On Monday, the IRF's website –

www.irf.net – was blocked by the NIA. An officer said that similar action was also being taken against all other content related to the IRF on the internet.

“As part of our investigations, all action that needs to be taken against a proscribed organisation including banning of its online activities is being taken,” a senior NIA officer said.

NIA officials, along with cyber experts, are currently trawling the internet, including video hosting websites like YouTube, for any content connected to the IRF or its founder, Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik.

A lot of Dr Naik's speeches, including some in which he has made objectionable statement about Hindu Gods and statements extolling known terrorists or supporting the concept of terrorist activities, are up on such websites, and officials said that all such videos will be blocked in collaboration with the authorities at the websites.

The NIA will also be getting in touch with authorities at social media websites through which Dr Naik and the IRF have been propagating his views, and get all such pages taken off the websites as well. Soon after the terrorist attacks in Dhaka, one of the suspects, Rohan Imtiaz, was found to have been a regular follower of Dr Naik's social media posts. A grab of Imtiaz sharing one of Dr Naik's posts went viral a few days after Imtiaz was identified as one of the perpetrators.

The agency is expected to summon Naik's wife and some office bearers of the IRF for questioning in the days to come. They will be questioned as to Dr Naik's activities as well as about the material seized by the NIA in searches conducted at 12 different places in Mumbai on Saturday. The NIA has taken a large quantity of documents and electronic storage devices in its custody during the searches, along with Rs 12 lakh in cash.