Naik NGO: 3 MHA officials suspended

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs suspended three of its officials on Thursday following revelations that they had renewed the FCRA licence of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

The renewal, according to Naik’s spokesperson, was done on August 19. Sources said it was done without any vetting by senior MHA officials. Mumbai-based IRF’s FCRA licence was up for renewal along with 20,000 other NGOs last month.

An MHA official said that since they had moved entirely to an online system, the renewal was done in an automated mode. An FCRA licence, which enables any NGO to receive foreign funds, is given for five years. Naik’s NGO was served a notice by home ministry for alleged FCRA violations on August 8. The government had earlier said that it was gathering evidence to prosecute Zakir Naik under the anti-terror law.