Kerala preacher held at airport

The authorities at the RGI Airport detained Islamic preacher from Kerala, M.M. Akbar — founder of Niche Truth — on Sunday.

He was wanted in a case related to promoting enmity between different groups registered in 2016 against Peace Educational Foundation, founded by Akbar.

The immigration officials detained Akbar after Kerala police had issued a lookout circular against him. According to the FIR registered against him in December 2016, under Section 153 (a), Akbar was allegedly promoting orthodox Islam and enmity between communities through its textbooks published by his foundation.

The Mumbai-based Burooj Realization, whose head was arrested by Kerala Police earlier, published the textbooks. As his arrest became imminent, Akbar fled the country.

The authorities at the RGI Airport detained Islamic preacher from Kerala, M.M. Akbar — founder of Niche Truth — on Sunday.

Akbar’s Peace Educational Foundation is also being investigated by the National Investigation Agency in connection with a case pertaining to 21 people from Kerala joined Islamic State. The NIA said at least 11 people of the 21 were either teachers at the Foundation’s schools or were associated with it some way or the other. The TS counter intelligence department was keeping a tab on the movement of Akbar. On information that he was going to Doha from Melbourne. Akbar had landed in Hyderabad hoping to catch a flight to Doha but was asked to go through immigration where he was detained.