The Congress said the money had been returned to Zakir Naik's foundation.
After four officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs were suspended for renewing the controversial preacher Zakir Naik’s NGO Islamic Research Foundation’s licence, it’s believed that more officials are likely to be suspended for violations. A report in Indian Express claims that the alleged irregularities was a Rs 50 lakh donation by the organisation to the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust in 2011 during the UPA – II term.
Sources told the Indian Express: “Three or four more officials, up to the rank of Deputy Secretary at least, who served in the FCRA division of the Home Ministry in 2013 and 2014, are likely to be suspended soon. While some are serving in different branches of the MHA currently, others may have been posted to other ministries. The matter has been taken up with the DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training), and the suspensions are imminent.”
The source added that during an audit of IRF conducted earlier several other violations were found such as non-declaration of foreign funding of one million dirhams (Rs 1.8 crore), and also the diversion of foreign funds to others like the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. The sourced added that the ‘matter was diluted’ in the note sheet, and the file didn’t even join the Joint Secretary of the FCRA.
On Friday, the Congress had acknowledged that the IRF had donated Rs 50 lakh to the RGCT some years ago, and said that the money had been returned to the institute. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “I don’t know about caution, but I certainly think that certain amount of astrological talent must be exercised… because at the time when this unsolicited, stray donation was received by the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust many many years ago, one would have to be a soothsayer or an astrologer because the donor organisation was not on any suspect list or watch list (then).”
“However, it was discovered by chance when recent events happened. The moment it was discovered, the paper work was checked and immediately some months ago, a remittance was made back,” he said. “I entirely agree that if any knowledge in any manner is available about an organisation which is suspect, full care and caution will be and is being exercised. But obviously this happened more than 5-6 years ago, when nobody knew about the possible implication of such an organisation,” he said.
In a report in Times of India, the Congress owned up to the donation to the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust and the said the amount was returned some months ago. A spokesperson for IRF told TOI however that the money had been given to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and not the trust and added: "May be, they are planning to return but we have not received anything yet," he said.
The representative further said: “We donated 50 lakh to RGF in 2011. But the donation to RGF is just one of the several donations we make to NGOs of similar nature for education of the girl child, higher education in medicine, medical surgeries etc." The RGCT has Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka as its founder members while former PM Manmohan Singh is a trustee of RGF.
Earlier, controversial preacher Zakir Naik's NGO Islamic Research Foundation has been banned from receiving foreign funds directly and the Home Ministry has asked RBI to seek prior permission from it before releasing any money to the NGO.
The decision has been taken after a preliminary inquiry conducted by the Home Ministry found that the NGO was carrying out activities contrary to the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA) under which it has to function.
Sources said with IRF being put into prior permission category, the Reserve Bank of India, henceforth, has to inform the Home Ministry about all funds coming to the NGO and permission has to be taken from the ministry before releasing them to IRF.
They said that last month the Home Ministry had renewed the FCRA licence of IRF despite several ongoing probes against the NGO and its founder Naik including one by the Home Ministry itself.
Taking strong exception to the goof-up, the Home Ministry suspended Joint Secretary G K Dwivedi, who was heading the foreigners division of the ministry looking after the FCRA-related issues, and three other officials.
Naik was accused of radicalising and attracting youths for terror acts.
Naik has come under the scanner of the security agencies after Bangladeshi newspaper 'Daily Star' had reported that one of the attackers of the July 1 terror strike in Dhaka, Rohan Imtiaz, ran a propaganda on Facebook last year quoting Naik.
He, in a lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly "urged all Muslims to be terrorists".
Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based IRF, is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speeches aimed against other religions. He is among 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia.
He is popular in Bangladesh through his Peace TV, although his preachings often demean other religions and even other Muslim sects.
With agency inputs
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