On Sunday, a 35-minute-long audio recording of two interviews of Islamic televangelist Zakir Naik by Times Now surfaced on YouTube. A voiceover that prefaces the video alleges that the journalist Megha Prasad was “very objective and fair” in the first interview but changed her tone of questioning in the second under pressure from “superiors”.
The first interview begins with a request from Prasad to Naik answer honestly. In reply, Naik requests the journalist to use his replies “in the full context, without editing.” Over the next seven questions, Naik speaks freely. The second interview is distinctly combative in contrast. Naik quickly gets annoyed by Prasad’s prodding questions. He says at one point, “You asked me the same question the first time, and you, very nicely, heard the answer. And that interview was very nice. The second time, why are you interrupting me?” Later, he says, “First time you gave me the complete opportunity to speak. If you want I can send you the complete recording. I have it on my mobile.”
On 7th July, the channel ran a small part of the first phone interview. Sources in the channel have confirmed that there was a technical glitch, which is why only a portion could be used. However, this doesn’t explain why a second interview was conducted and why it wasn’t carried. The full audio recording of the two interviews surfaced on YouTube on July 10, three days after Times Now aired its interview. Since then, Naik’s supporters have been sharing it on social media and alleging that the second interview was necessitated because of pressure from Prasad’s “superiors”.
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