Talk by Zakir Naik in Mangaluru: City police seeks more details

MANGALURU: City police is yet to take a decision on granting permission for organizers to hold religious meet involving Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik as main speaker.
An orgnisation has approached city police commissioner S Murugan seeking permission to hold religious meet in Mangaluru city with Zakir Naik as main speaker. In the meantime, saffron outfits have raised objections through social media alleging that the programme may affect the social harmony in the region.
When asked, Murugan told reporters that an organization has applied for permission to hold programme at Nehru Maidan in the city on January 3. “We have received an application from an organization for permission to hold Zakir Naik’s talk in the city. However, they have not mentioned the details of the programme. Hence, I have sought more details of the programme including the theme of his speech. We will take a decision based on their reply,” Murugan said.
Further, Murugan said that as of now no cases have been booked against Zakir Naik in any of the stations in Mangaluru. “We only know that he is a religious speaker on TV and other programmes. We do not know if he has spoken against other religions. As far as we know, his speeches, by and large, are centered on Islam and Quran. We will verify all aspects and decide on granting permission for his programme,” Murugan added.