The Income Tax department's survey at the BBC offices in India continued for the third consecutive day on Thursday, February 16. The survey comes as part of a tax evasion investigation, officials had earlier said.
Several key opposition leaders criticised the raids which come amidst a political row that kicked off in the country following BBC's controversial documentary 'India: The Modi Question' on Gujarat riots 2022 that has been banned in India. Officials continued to gather and make copies of electronic and paper-based financial data of the organisation, officials said.
UK minister's reaction
UK Member of Parliament Robert Blackman said that the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “full of innuendos and smears” and the tax raids on the British broadcaster's offices in India are not connected to the aforementioned two-part series documentary, according to a report by Times Now. "BBC is independent but it should act responsibly. I detect a sort of anti-India bias in many aspects. BBC news is often negative about India," he said as per Times Now.
Press clubs condemn raids
Meanwhile, press associations across India condemned the raids and termed it as yet another attack on media houses. "The surveys are a part of a series of attacks on the media by government agencies in recent times, especially against those sections of the media that the government perceives is hostile to it and critical of the ruling establishment," the Press Club of India, in Delhi, said in a statement.
Media offices Dainik Bhaskar Group, UP-based TV network Bharat Live, and news portals such as Newsclick and Newslaundry, among others have also been at the receiving end of income tax raids recently, the Mumbai Press Club said in a statement. They questioned the timings of these raids. "As justification, the agencies have been citing allegations of tax evasion. Still, the timing of these raids is too precise to miss the signal to the entire media: that if you carry stories of government ineptitude and failure, this is what you will have to face," they said in a statement.
