Islamic preacher Zakir Naik on Thursday accused the Indian government of engaging in a “witch-hunt” and putting pressure on the Interpol to issue a red corner notice against him.
In a statement issued here, Naik, who fled India in 2016,said he was aware of the “pressure the Indian government was applying onthe Interpol” to issue a red corner notice against him.
“It’s part of an elaborate witch-hunt. But havingverified with a few member countries, I can confirm that there is no red cornernotice against me as of date,” he claimed.
“One of the Indian newspapers seems to have jumped thegun and reported internal deliberations of the Indian government which, as amatter of fact, have been going on for over two years now,” he said.
Naik said the Interpol had already cancelled a red cornernotice against him once.
“And it’s been one-and-a-half years since the governmentsubmitted a charge sheet and started applying pressure on the Interpol. But asthings stand, I have no reason to believe that Interpol will succumb to anykind of undue pressure,” he said.
Naik, said to be in Malaysia at present, has been underinvestigation since 2016, when the Centre banned his Islamic ResearchFoundation (IRF) for five years.
He is being probed by the National Investigation Agency(NIA) on several charges under the Indian Penal Code and the UnlawfulActivities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The preacher, declared a proclaimed offender by a specialNIA court here in June 2017, is accused of inciting youth to take up terroractivities, giving hate speeches and promoting enmity between communities.
The NIA filed a charge sheet against Naik and others beforea Mumbai court in October 2017.