Zakir Naik's NGO funded by radical groups?

The Ministry of Home Affairs has initiated scrutiny of the files related to the foreign funding of Zakir Naik's NGO Islamic Research Foundation.

New Delhi: The Indian government is now probing whether controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is at the centre of a storm for allegedly making inflammatory speeches, used to obtain funds from radical groups.

According to India Today, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has initiated scrutiny of the files related to the foreign funding of Naik's NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

The news channel cited sources as saying that till 2012, the IRF had received about Rs 15 crore in a 4-5 years period.

Notably, Zaik's NGO is registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

"Some of the donors are under scanner and we are investigating whether the funds were used for the purpose stated or diverted to other areas," said a Home Ministry official.

Mumbai-based preacher Naik grabbed the headlines recently following reports that two of the Dhaka cafe attackers who slaughtered 20 hostages drew inspiration from his speeches.

Presently, Naik is in Saudi Arabia.