Devendra Fadnavis orders Mumbai Police to launch inquiry against Islamic preacher Zakir Naik
Officers were stationed outside his Thane home as a precautionary measure, after reports that one of the militants involved in the Dhaka attack followed him.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed Commissioner of Mumbai Police Dattatray Padsalgikar to launch an investigation into controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and submit a report, ANI reported. Earlier in the day, Mumbai Police deployed officers outside Naik’s house in Dongri in Thane district as a precaution, following reports that his “hate speech” had inspired one of the militants behind the siege at a café in Dhaka last week.
On Wednesday, Minister for State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju had said Naik’s speech was a “matter of concern” and that “agencies were working on it”. He added that India has good relations with Bangladesh, especially with regard to fighting terrorism.
In his lecture aired on an international Islamic channel, Peace TV, Naik had allegedly urged all Muslims to be terrorists. According to Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Star, militant Rohan Imtiaz ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik, who is banned in the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Canada for his “hate speeches”.