Bengaluru: The controversial religious preacher, Zakir Naik, whose online videos on ‘Peace TV’ had allegedly radicalised two of the five young Bangladeshi militants, who had killed 20 foreigners, including one Indian last weekend in a plush eatery in Dhaka, was banned from entering Karnataka in December last year when he wanted to participate in some programmes in Mangaluru.
Though Naik has earlier visited the state, including Bengaluru, the district police had issued prohibitory orders and banned his entry under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the communally charged coastal district to prevent communal unrest, said an official source.
A similar ban order was issued to restrict the entry of international working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Praveen Togadia in Mangaluru. “There have been complaints in the past regarding Naik’s radical and anti-communal speeches, but this is the first time an external agency (Bangladesh) has taken cognisance of his role, for reportedly radicalising educated Muslim boys from affluent families in their country to associate with banned terrorist groups like the Jama’at ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and indulge in terrorism and coldblooded murders,” said an official source.
According to a report from Bangladesh, Naik is very popular in the country. He is the founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation. He is banned in the UK, Canada and Malaysia among other countries for his extremist views and hate speeches.
