An Indian investigative agency filed an FIR against Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik for spreading enmity among religions, Indian media reported.
Early Saturday morning, raids were conducted in 10 offices of Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) located in Maharashtra.
Reports in NDTV said that the case was registered after speeches by Naik aired on his channel Peace TV partly funded by IRF were examined.
Naik, 50, a medical doctor by profession, is currently in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, on the recommendation of Mumbai Police and National Security Agency, the Indian government imposed a five-year ban on IRF.
The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting held in New Delhi.
Days after militants killed more than 20 hostages in Bangladesh, Indian and Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies launched a probe against the speeches of Naik, whose sermons were said to have allegedly inspired two of the Dhaka attackers.
“I disagree that I inspired this act of killing innocent people” and declared “terrorism is Devil-ish,” Naik said.
Naik told The Indian Express that he condemns the attack. “By using the name Islamic State, we are condemning Islam… They are the ‘anti-Islamic state of Iraq and Syria’ that has killed innocent foreigners. The name is given by enemies of Islam,” he said.
Naik, often dressed in a skullcap and suit, is a popular televangelist and runs his channel Peace TV in both English and Urdu.
