Ashish Ranjan
Tuesday, Income Tax inspectors searched the BBC’s headquarters in Delhi and Mumbai. Officials stated that the search, which the IT department billed as a survey, was part of an inquiry into the British broadcaster’s potential tax cheating.
According to sources, the probe relates on BBC subsidiary firms’ international taxation issues. The study was conducted just weeks after the contentious two-part BBC documentary series ‘India: The Modi Question’ aired.
Here are the developments that have happened
1.The director general of the Income Tax Department in Mumbai launched the search at three locations, according to a PTI report. The I-T personnel arrived at the BBC’s headquarters in Delhi and Mumbai at approximately 11 a.m. A police official informed PTI that I.T. department officials seized all the electronic equipment on the premises and inspected the employees’ cell phones.
The address of the office in Delhi is Kasturba Gandhi Marg. There are two BBC offices in Mumbai, one in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and the other in Khar.
2.The I-T department conducted a survey operation to hunt for papers connected to the company’s business operations and its Indian subsidiary. The department would like to investigate the BBC’s international taxation and transfer pricing practises.
The Income Tax Authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating.
We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible.
— BBC News Press Team (@BBCNewsPR) February 14, 2023
3.As word of the survey operation spread, the BBC’s press crew said that I-T authorities are still present in the Delhi and Mumbai offices and that personnel are working fully with the search. The BBC expressed its desire to settle the matter as soon as possible in a tweet.
4.After airing a two-part documentary series entitled ‘India: The Modi Question,’ the I.T. department at the BBC conducted a survey many weeks later. The first section focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged role in the Gujarat riots of 2002, while the second section investigated his governance since his 2019 re-election.
The Centre restricted YouTube videos and Twitter posts containing links to the documentary after the first segment aired.
The Supreme Court of India rejected a petition seeking a total ban on the BBC in India last week, deeming the motion “absolutely misconceived.”
5.Several leaders of the opposition have criticised the government over the IT search at BBC offices. The general secretary of the Congress, Jairam Ramesh, criticised the administration with the phrase “Vinash Kale, Vipreet Buddhi” (When doom comes, a person’s intellect works against his own interests).
यहां हम अडानी के मामले में JPC की मांग कर रहे हैं और वहां सरकार BBC के पीछे पड़ी हुई है।
'विनाशकाले विपरीत बुद्धि'
: @Jairam_Ramesh जी pic.twitter.com/PvQ57tMTVP
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 14, 2023
6.In response to Congress’s criticism, the national spokesperson for the BJP, Gaurav Bhatia, stated that the Income Tax department should be allowed to perform its job. In addition, he accused the BBC of “venomous” reportage against India and claimed that the BBC’s propaganda and the goals of the Congress are identical.
According to him, the BBC is the “most corrupt” organisation in the world, and the Congress should recall that former prime minister Indira Gandhi banned the broadcaster as well.
7.In the meantime, the Editors Guild of India stated that it was “very worried” about the BBC searches and that they were part of a “pattern” of using government agencies to “harass and intimidate” media outlets that are critical of the government.
The Press Club of India (PCI) also condemned the raids and urged the government to prevent its agencies from “abusing their authority to intimidate the media.” In a statement, the PCI stated, “The current raids are part of a string of attacks on the media by government agents in recent years, particularly targeting government-perceived unfriendly segments of the media.”
