By Alok Ranjan: The Income Tax division’s survey operation in opposition to BBC India continued for the second day, with the sleuths understood to be making copies of digital and paper-based monetary knowledge of the organisation, officers instructed PTI.
The tax division had launched the motion on Tuesday on the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai places of work together with not less than two linked premises as a part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion in opposition to the British broadcaster in India.
Sleuths knocked on the doorways of the BBC round 11.30 am on Tuesday and they’re nonetheless current, sources conscious of the event instructed PTI.
The tax officers are talking to staffers of the BBC within the finance and another departments at the same time as different staffers and journalists have been allowed to depart on Tuesday night time.
Some laptop peripherals and cell phones have been cloned as a part of the operation.
The survey is being carried out to research points associated to worldwide taxation and switch pricing of BBC subsidiary corporations, officers stated on Tuesday.
While there was no official assertion from the Income Tax division on the motion, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has stated it was cooperating with the authorities.
HOW FOREIGN MEDIA COVERS IT SURVEY AT BBC OFFICES IN INDIA
Washington Post – Indian authorities raids BBC places of work in wake of documentary vital of Modi
Indian tax authorities raided the BBC’s places of work and seized its journalists’ telephones in a shocking — and apparently retaliatory — transfer Tuesday in opposition to the British broadcaster weeks after it aired a polarizing documentary analyzing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rise and his dealing with of a lethal 2002 riot.
Indian media shops reported that greater than 50 Indian officers raided the BBC’s places of work in New Delhi and Mumbai round midday. Two BBC journalists in New Delhi, talking on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk publicly, stated their colleagues’ telephones have been being confiscated.
Image exhibits a screenshot from Washington Post
New York Times – Indian Tax Agents Raid BBC Offices After Airing of Documentary Critical of Modi
Indian tax brokers raided the places of work of the BBC in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday, weeks after the federal government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to cease the dissemination of a documentary by the broadcaster that criticized his therapy of the nation’s Muslim minority.
Image exhibits a screenshot from New York Times
The Wall Street Journal – Indian Authorities Search BBC Offices Weeks After Contentious Modi Documentary
Indian income-tax officers on Tuesday searched places of work of the BBC weeks after the British broadcaster aired a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi that New Delhi described as propaganda.
The British Broadcasting Corp. stated on its official Twitter account that it was absolutely cooperating with the authorities at its places of work in New Delhi and Mumbai. “We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible,” it stated.
Image exhibits a screengrab from the Wall Street Journal
CNN – Indian authorities raid BBC places of work after broadcast of Modi documentary
Indian tax authorities raided the BBC’s places of work in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday, weeks after the nation banned a documentary from the British broadcaster that was vital of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged function in lethal riots greater than 20 years in the past.
BBC News reported on tv that folks had not been allowed to enter or go away the places of work.
The raids come after the Indian authorities stated it used “emergency powers” to dam the documentary from airing within the nation, including that each YouTube and Twitter complied with the order.
Image exhibits screengrab from CNN
Associated Press – Indian officers search BBC places of work after Modi documentary
India’s tax officers searched BBC places of work in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday, weeks after it aired a documentary vital of Prime Minister Narendra Modi within the U.Ok., the broadcaster stated.
Rights teams and opposition politicians denounced the transfer by India’s Income Tax Department as an try and intimidate the media.
Britain’s publicly funded nationwide broadcaster stated it was cooperating absolutely with authorities and hoped “to have this situation resolved as soon as possible.” Late within the night, the BBC stated officers have been nonetheless on the two places of work.
“Many staff have now left the building but some have been asked to remain and are continuing to cooperate with the ongoing inquiries,” it stated, including: “Our output and journalism continues as normal.”
Indian tax authorities declined to remark.
Image exhibits a screengrab from Associated Press
Reuters – India tax officers search BBC places of work weeks after vital Modi documentary
Indian tax officers searched the BBC’s bureaus in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday, the British broadcaster stated, weeks after the federal government banned as propaganda a BBC documentary vital of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s function in riots in 2002.
The documentary targeted on the Hindu nationalist politician’s management as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat through the riots wherein not less than 1,000 folks have been killed, most of them Muslims, although activists put the toll at greater than twice that quantity.
Image exhibits screengrab from Reuters
The Guardian – BBC places of work in India raided by tax officers amid Modi documentary fallout
BBC places of work in India have been raided by tax division officers, simply weeks after the discharge of a documentary vital of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, which was later blocked by the federal government.
According to these working on the broadcaster, greater than a dozen officers from the nation’s revenue tax division turned up on the BBC places of work in Delhi and Mumbai, the place tons of of workers are primarily based, to conduct a “survey”. Documents and telephones of a number of journalists have been taken and the places of work sealed.
Image exhibits screengrab from The Guardian
The Telegraph – BBC’s New Delhi and Mumbai places of work raided by Indian tax authorities
The BBC’s New Delhi and Mumbai places of work have been raided by native tax authorities simply weeks after the broadcaster aired a documentary vital of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“There’s income tax raid in office, they’re confiscating all phones,” one of many broadcaster’s journalists instructed AFP from the workplace within the centre of the capital.
Officials instructed Indian newswire PTI that the division was taking a look at paperwork associated to the enterprise operations of the corporate and people associated to its Indian arm.
Image exhibits a screengrab from The Telegraph
Al Jazeera – Indian tax brokers raid BBC places of work in wake of Modi documentary
Indian tax authorities have raided the places of work of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) within the nation within the wake of a documentary that examined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s function in 2002 anti-Muslim riots, in accordance with the BBC.
In a tweet, the BBC information division’s press workplace on Tuesday stated the tax authorities have been “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,” the assertion stated.
A supply on the firm instructed Al Jazeera that workers’ laptops and cell phones had been seized. Those within the places of work on the time of the raid weren’t allowed to depart and workers scheduled for night time shifts have been instructed to not are available in pending additional recommendation, the supply stated.
Image exhibits a screengrab from Al Jazeera
Published On:
Feb 15, 2023
