Security agencies have drawn up a list of 55 terror accused arrested from different parts of the country, who have allegedly claimed to be influenced by Zakir Naik or to have watched his speeches.
The Union Home Ministry of India sought help from security agencies to determine where any legal action could be taken against televangelist and Islamic scholar, Dr Zakir Naik.
Bangladesh’ The Daily Star had reported that Naik, who is the founder of Islamic Research Foundation, was source of inspiration for the attackers of Dhaka terror attacks, but later retracted the report, claiming that it was an error on their part.
Sources in the security agencies have told The Indian Express, that the list includes:
- Feroze Deshmukh - former IRF employee, arrested by the Maharashtra ATS for his alleged role in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case.
- Qateel Ahmed Siddiqui - Indian Mujahideen member who was murdered inside Yerwada prison in Pune in June 2012.
- Biju Saleem - former sub-inspector with the hi-tech cell of the Kerala Police and alleged SIMI sympathiser who was accused of allegedly trying to create unrest among religious communities by leaking information to the media about police snooping on Muslim community leaders and thinkers.
- Afsha Jabeen - alleged IS online recruiter, arrested in September 2015 on deportation from the UAE.
- Mudabbir Sheikh, Mohammed Obaidullah Khan, Abu Anas and Mohammed Nafees Khan - all four were arrested in raids across the country by the NIA in January for floating a local IS-affiliate named Junood ul Khalifa e Hind.
- Asadullah Ali and Rafique Islam - alleged Jamaat ul Mujahideen Bangladesh operatives arrested during the Burdwan blast probe.
The four criminal cases registered against Naik in India in the past are also being examined by the security agencies. While one case remains pending in a court in Kolhapur, investigations are being conducted on the remaining three.
The Indian Express quoted one of the sources from the agencies as saying:
It’s an exhaustive exercise involving a large team, which is carefully poring over all of Naik’s speeches, and looking at the activities at Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation in Mumbai, and the Mumbai and Chennai branches of the Islamic International School run by him. In addition, all past instances in which terror accused have claimed during interrogation that they were influenced by Naik, or would attend Naik’s speeches or listen to them on the Internet, have been compiled. A list of 55 such accused has been drawn up.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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