The Income Tax department's survey at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) India offices in Delhi and Mumbai entered its third day on Thursday, accumulating nearly 60 hours in total.
According to I-T sources, the surveys are part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion and officials gathered financial data from select staffers and made copies of electronic and paper data of the news organisation.
Authorities had said on Wednesday that the exercise would continue for some more time, saying the "exact time frame to call the operation closed rests entirely on the teams on the ground".
The survey is being carried out to investigate issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies, officials have said.
The survey teams are seeking answers on financial transactions, the company structure and other details about the news company, and are copying data from electronic gadgets as part of their task of collecting the evidence, tax officials had said.
UK Govt distances itself from BBC documentary
“We recognise how this portrayal of the Indian government has played out in India. I made it clear that the BBC is independent in its output, that the UK regards India as an incredibly important international partner and that we will be investing heavily in that relationship in the coming decades,” UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said earlier this month.
Meanwhile, reacting to the I-T raids at BBC offices today, Dr Mukulika Banerjee, a leading author and academic at the London School of Economics (LSE) said, “Everyone's shocked and no one is fooled that today's tax survey, as it's being called, is a retaliation to the recent BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’”.
“The BBC is an independent public broadcaster so if it puts out a documentary, it is not acting at the behest of the British government. In fact, BBC journalists routinely grill the British PM and all elected officials holding them accountable for their actions. The word ‘independent’ means just that,” she said.
BBC row: How US reacted
Reacting to a survey operation conducted by the Indian tax authorities at the BBC office in Delhi, the United States on Tuesday said it was aware of the development but was not in a position to offer its judgement.
In India, the action by Income Tax officials created a huge political upheaval. The Opposition termed the survey as an undeclared emergency. However, the government called it routine work of the IT department. Officials said the operation was part of a tax evasion investigation.
India slammed BBC for its 'propaganda' documentary
Slamming the BBC documentary which was released last month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "...the bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset is blatantly visible."
Supreme Court on BBC documentary
The Supreme Court last week dismissed a plea seeking the imposition of a complete ban on the BBC in India in the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition "entirely misconceived" and "absolutely meritless". Another set of petitions challenging the government's decision to block the documentary will be heard in April next. The petitions were filed by journalist N Ram, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, and advocates Prashant Bhushan and ML Sharma. On January 21, the government issued directions to block multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.
The Editors Guild of India said it was "deeply concerned" about the Income Tax surveys and termed it a continuation of a "trend" of using government agencies to "intimidate and harass" media outlets critical of the ruling establishment. The Congress termed it as "intimidation tactics"and alleged that the action shows that the Narendra Modi government is scared of criticism.
The BJP, in its reaction, accused the BBC of unleashing "venomous" reporting against India and alleged that its propaganda and the Congress' agenda go together.
(With inputs from PTI)
ALSO READ | BBC says 'fully cooperating' with income tax dept after its Mumbai, Delhi offices come under scanner
ALSO READ | BBC India office searches: Int'l media watchdogs term act as 'blatant affront' to freedom of expression
