Zakir Naik’s NGO has one financial anomaly

Meanwhile, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday, acting on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is also minister for personnel and is now overseas, approved suspension of joint secretary in home ministry, G K Dwivedi, over renewal of FCRA licence of televangelist Zakir Naik’s NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). “The two undersecretaries and a section officer who were suspended did not inform their seniors while renewing the licence”, the official said.

The officials suspended worked in MHA’s Foreigners Division, which was scrutinising whether IRF had violated any foreign funding norms under FCRA, and had sent an FCRA notice to the NGO last month. Dhaka had alleged that the IRF and Naik’s speeches may have motivated the youth. As Naik’s ideology divisive, and against India’s pluralistic, secular and social fabric which motivates in a negative path. Sources said a departmental inquiry will be ordered against the suspended officers to find out if there was any mala fide intention behind renewal of registration of IRF under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA).

Dr Zakir while rejecting the allegations has said that his statements and speeches have been doctored. “After the renewal, we were asked to give clarifications on our source of income and we have replied”, said a spokesperson for the foundation.

Meanwhile, the Foreigners Division of the home ministry is looking into alleged FCRA violations by IRF. While a crack team of NIA scanned thousand hours of tapes of his speeches made and recently submitted the report.

According to an NIA officer, funds from IRF’s office in Wales, UK, were diverted to another entity.

A file photo of Zakir Naik.

In the past as well, IRF was under scanner but no action was recommended. However, the one donation from Dubai is still being probed as it has not been accounted for, the official also noted.

Naik, in his lecture aired on Peace TV, an worldwide Islamic channel, had reportedly “urged all Muslims to be terrorists” Zakir Naik, in a media interaction via Skype from Saudi Arabia in July, had rubbished allegations against him while terming himself as a “messenger of peace”.