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Mumbai, September 1: Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday suspended four of its officials for goof-up that led to the renewal of FCRA license of Zakir Naik’s Mumbai-based NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). Last month on August 18, the licence of IRF was renewed under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, especially when the organisation’s role probed in terror-related activities.
According to reports, the serious goof-up was carried out by four individuals attached with the Ministry of Home Affairs who were suspended after a brief departmental enquiry was carried out by some senior officials working there.
This could cause fresh trouble for Zakir Naik and his non-profitable organisation which is allegedly involved in the forceful conversion. After the suspension, the government is likely to take a decision on suspension of IRF’s FCRA license. (Also Read: Fresh trouble for Zakir Naik, Islamic preacher’s NGO IRF likely to be banned under UAPA)
According to Aarif Malik, “IRF had applied for license renewal a year ago, which was renewed last week by the Home Ministry. After the renewal of licence, we were sent the questionnaire by the concerned authority asking for clarifications on our source of income to which we have replied”.
Malik also claimed that IRF regularly files tax returns and disclose each and every detail of their foreign contributors. He also said that IRF as an organisation has never faced any tax related scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the Law Ministry on Wednesday has given a go ahead for registering a case against Naik and IRF but had also asked to collect more evidence against the televangelist.
Earlier, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar advised the government to book Mumbai-based controversial preacher and his NGO under the anti-terror law. SG maintained that Zakir Naik’s ideology was divisive and against the social fabric of India.
Maharashtra ATS and Crime Branch who had recently arrested Arshi Qureshi and Rizwan Khan, both employees of IRF, is at present analysing Naik’s lectures and IRF’s activities to ascertain whether there is any evidence to charge him and ban his NGO under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The Intelligence Bureau and several other security agencies across India had earlier drawn up a list of 55 terror accused, arrested from across the country over the past decade, who have claimed that they were influenced by the televangelist, or have watched Naik’s speeches.
The list includes, ISIS sympathisers who were picked by the National Investigation Agency earlier this year. These accused have claimed that they were also affiliated to groups such as the SIMI, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Indian Mujahideen and ISIS.
Naik’s lawyer, Mubin Solkar has refuted these allegations and said that if Naik’s speeches are seen in their full context, no one would conclude that he had inspired people to commit acts of terror.
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