KUALA LUMPUR: Indian preacher Dr Zakir Naik is back at Bukit Aman to give his statement on the police report against Human Resources Minister M Kula Segaran and several others over alleged defamatory remarks regarding a speech he made in Kelantan on Aug 8.
He and his lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader arrived at the federal police headquarters here in two separate cars at about 4pm.
Aside from Kula, the other four listed in the report are Klang MP Charles Santiago, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, Bagan Dalam assemblyman Satees Muniandy and former ambassador Dennis Ignatius.
Naik had said that his police report, lodged in Shah Alam, was to allow the police “to commence an investigation against the said individuals under the Penal Code (Act 15) and/or Sedition Act 1948 and other relevant laws for defaming me and for instigating racial disharmony and hatred among the citizens of Malaysia”.
The five have stood by their comments, including Kula who says he will face the preacher in court. The rest have said that they are ready to assist the police in the investigation.
This is Naik’s third trip to Bukit Aman. The first was on Aug 16, where he was questioned for several hours. He was questioned for another 10 hours on Aug 19, in a marathon session which stretched over to the next day.
Naik has been wanted in India since 2016 for investigations into money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speech.
However, he has refused to return to his home country, saying he will not be accorded a fair trial under the BJP government.
Calls for his deportation grew following a series of public talks he gave in Kelantan in which he allegedly questioned the loyalty of Malaysian Hindus to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He was later quoted as saying the Chinese in Malaysia could also be considered as “guests” in the country.
Over 100 police reports have been lodged against the preacher, who has been banned from speaking in public anywhere in the country, including through social media platforms, until investigations involving him are settled.
Earlier this week, he apologised for any misunderstandings over his statements but maintained that these had been taken out of context.
He has also sent a letter of demand to the four DAP politicians and Ignatius for defamation, seeking compensation along with a public apology.
The police were seen instructing the preacher to change to another car before entering the building. - FMT
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