Ashish Ranjan
Income Tax Survey At BBC’S Offices: Officials from the Income Tax Department arrived at the BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai this morning in order to conduct searches. This comes just a few weeks after the BBC sparked a massive controversy with its documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and allegations that were linked to the riots in Gujarat in 2002.
According to sources, the tax authorities were conducting a “survey” on allegations of international taxation and transfer pricing problems involving the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The BBC’s office in Delhi was raided by approximately twenty tax officers. A search was conducted at the BBC Studios in Mumbai, which are responsible for production.
According to the sources, documents were removed from journalists along with their phones, laptops, and other electronic devices. During the course of the survey, the offices will be kept under lock and key, and employees have been instructed not to disclose any information to any third parties.
पहले BBC की डॉक्यूमेंट्री आई, उसे बैन किया गया।
अब BBC पर IT का छापा पड़ गया है।
अघोषित आपातकाल
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 14, 2023
Officials from the Internal Revenue Service have stated that this was merely a survey and not a search, and that the phones will be returned.
“We felt the need to get some clarifications, and in order to accomplish so, our team is currently in the BBC office conducting a poll. Our officers have been checking account books, which is not the same thing as conducting searches “income tax survey sources that are being claimed.
According to some sources, the income tax survey authorities contacted the BBC’s finance department and asked for specifics regarding the company’s balance sheet and accounting.
The two-part documentary titled “India: The Modi Question” produced by the BBC recently made headlines due to the fact that it was removed from all public platforms one month ago. On January 21, the Centre requested the blocking of various YouTube videos and Twitter posts that shared links to the contentious documentary, utilising emergency powers granted to it by the Information Technology Rules, 2021.
Public screenings of the documentary were planned by opposition leaders and students who accused the government of engaging in overt censorship. During these screenings, students clashed with college authorities and the police at many colleges.
In response to a documentary that was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the opposition Congress party accused the administration of attacking BBC.
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“While over there the government is harassing BBC, we are trying to have a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the controversy with Adani and Hindenburg. The proverb “when one is destined, one makes poor decisions” (Vinash Kaale Viprit Buddhi) says that “the leader of the Congress, Jairam Ramesh, stated.
In a tweet, Mahua Moitra, an MP for the Trinamool Congress, poked fun at the party: “There have been reports of an Income Tax raid at the BBC’s office in Delhi. Wow, are you serious? What a surprise it was.”
