LUCKNOW: In a crackdown against religious propaganda allegedly funded by foreign firms, the Sant Kabir Nagar district administration booked a Muslim cleric in Khalilabad for his suspected involvement in anti-national activities and illegal foreign transactions.
The FIR was filed against Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, the former manager of Madrasa Kulliyatul Banatir Rajviya (Niswa), on late Sunday night by District Minority Welfare Officer Praveen Kumar Mishra.
The Maulana was booked after an extensive probe conducted by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Varanasi Unit which flagged serious irregularities in foreign donations received by him and also the use of religious platforms for spreading sectarian influence under the guise of “Islamic education and welfare.”
According to the ATS report, Huda lived in the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2017 without permission from the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Board or the Government of India.
During his stay abroad, he acquired British citizenship in 2013 and subsequently began organising religious gatherings, lectures, and online sermons on Islamic theology.
As per the official sources, Huda maintained links with individuals and organisations in Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir, allegedly using those networks to promote a subtle campaign of “Islamisation” and ideological expansion within India.
He returned to India in 2017 and established Madrasa Kulliyatul Banatir Rajviya in Khalilabad under the banner of Kulliyatul Banatir Rajviya Educational and Welfare Society. He also floated another NGO named Raza Foundation.
This story was originally published in newindianexpress.com. Read the full story here.