Shiv Sena demands action against 'smaller Dawoods' like Zakir Naik

The Shiv Sena, which has been extremely vocal for banning controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, on Monday compared him to India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim.

Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said the government should act on these 'smaller Dawoods' in the country.

"Who is Zakir Naik? If this government has guts then it should first foil the bids of these smaller Dawoods and their attempts of making mini Pakistan in the country," Raut told ANI.

Raut had recently in party's mouthpiece Saamna slammed Naik for radicalising youth towards terror.

Pleading innocence that he never encouraged terrorism, Naik had last week alleged that the Indian media started trying him just because one of the Bangladesh newspapers reported that one of the terrorists involved in the Dhaka cafe attack was inspired by him.

"I am seeing that there is an India media cry on me just because a report came in one of the Bangladesh newspapers 'The Daily Star' that one of the terrorists who was involved in the attack was inspired by me, and the media trial started. On July 29, the newspaper corrected themselves that they never said that Dr Zakir inspired him and Dr Zakir did not inspire any terrorist to kill innocent people," Naik told a press conference in Mumbai via Skype from Medina.

Following the Centre's tough stand on Zakir Naik's controversial comments on terrorism, nine teams from the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other agencies earlier began scanning the former's activities, while special teams scanned every footage of his speeches.

Sources stated that Naik may be banned soon and the Centre has sought fresh legal opinion regarding the controversial preacher.

The government is most likely gearing up to make a strong legal case against Naik.