NEW DELHI: The Indian Income Tax department has raided BBC offices in a couple of locations in the country including Mumbai and Delhi in what is believed to be retaliatory action, weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and India and questioned PM Modi’s leadership for its role in the tragedy.
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According to latest reports by Indian media, a team of 15 officials from the Income Tax Department conducted survey operations at the offices of the BBC in Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday. The searches at the BBC offices were related to allegations of International Taxation and Transfer Pricing irregularities.
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The BBC has two offices in Mumbai – one at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and another one at Khar. The IT officials were present at the BKC office premises, while the employees at the BBC’s Khar office were asked to go home.
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Teams of Mumbai Police have also been deployed outside the premises in Mumbai to anyone from leaving or entering. It has also been learnt that apart from Delhi and Mumbai ‘survey raids’ are being conducted in other parts of the country as well.
The department is looking at documents related to the business operations of the company and those related to its Indian arm.
According to further information, the mobile phones of the employees were seized and they were asked to go home, while those working on the afternoon shift at the BBC’s Delhi office were asked to work from home.
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Two people looking after the Urdu services, along with the finance department officials were inside the office premises.
Meanwhile, Congress has reacted to searches at the BBC office and has called it an “undeclared emergency.”
It may be added here that the Indian Supreme Court has dismissed a plea by the Hindu Sena seeking a complete ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and BBC India from operating from Indian territory in the wake of airing a documentary on PM Modi.
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A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundersh dismissed the petition by terming it as “absolutely misconceived”, the Live Law reported.
Hearing the plea, Justice Khanna said, “This is totally misconceived”.
The top court had on February 3 also directed the central government to produce original records relating to its decision to block the BBC documentary.
On January 21, the government issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial documentary.
