To avoid any controversy between religious groups, police have banned Islamic preacher and tele evangelist Zakir Naik’s entry into ‘communally-sensitive’ Mangaluru. Naik was supposed to address a conference organised by the South Karnataka Salafi Movement on January 3.
Mangaluru City police commissioner S Murugan said prohibitory order has been issued banning Naik’s entry into the Police Commissionerate limits of Mangaluru under Section 144 of CrPC and his participation in any public meet for a period of seven days from December 31 to January 6, 2016. “We will take a decision on extending the ban later,” Murugan said, adding that similar orders will be issued banning the entry of Vishwa Hindu Parishat international working president Pravin Togadia too, who is supposed to address a meeting on January 6.
South Karnataka Salafi Movement (SKSM), in association with other organisations, was planning to hold a convention of Zakir Naik, a noted Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation.
The organisers had approached the city police seeking permission for the programme which was scheduled to be held at Nehru Maidan on January 3. SKSM had held a preliminary meeting in the city in the presence of Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology B Ramanath Rai and Mangaluru City North MlA BA Mohiuddin Bava.