New Delhi, Feb 14: In what is widely seen as a retaliation by the BJP government for a documentary that is critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Income Tax Department on Tuesday conducted a "survey operation" at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in the national capital and Mumbai, as part of a tax evasion investigation.
The action immediately attracted condemnation from the Opposition, calling it an "undeclared emergency" and that the Modi government was "scared" of criticism.
The BBC said it was "fully cooperating" with the Income Tax Department and "hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible".
Officials said the department is looking at documents related to the business operations of the company and those related to its Indian arm. The survey operations under the I-T Department means that it only covers the business premises and not raid residences or other locations of promoters and other functionaries.
Sources said around two dozen tax department officials were part of the team that conducted searches at the BBC office in Delhi while in Mumbai, BBC studios were searched. Documents and laptops were learnt to have been seized by tax officials.
The BBC was facing the ire of the BJP government and the Sangh Parivar over its two-part documentary series 'India: The Modi Question', which was critical of Modi's handling of Gujarat riots in 2002 when he was the Chief Minister of the state. The government had invoked emergency powers under the Information Technology Rules, 2021 to block YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.
The I-T Department's action also came a day after the first leg of the Budget Session of Parliament concluded, which was read as an attempt by the government to ensure that the Opposition does not get an immediate chance to raise the issue. The Supreme Court had earlier this month refused to ban the documentary, describing the petition as "entirely misconceived".
Congress targeted the government with its General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh saying, "Vinash Kale, Vipreet Buddhi" (When doom approaches, a person's intellect works against his interest)."
"Here we are demanding JPC on the Adani issue but the government is after the BBC," Ramesh said while Congress tweeted from its official handle, "first came the BBC interview and it was banned. Now Income Tax raids at BBC offices. Undeclared emergency."
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said the action against the BBC showed that the Modi government is scared of criticism. "We condemn these intimidation tactics in the harshest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial attitude cannot go on any longer," he said.
Trinamool Congress MP Mohua Moitra tweeted, "wow, really? How unexpected."
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called the action against BBC as the beginning of "ideological emergency". "When a government stands for fear and oppression instead of fearlessness, then one should realise the end is near,” he tweeted.
PM has reached heights of dictatorship: AAP
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party slammed the Centre over the Income Tax survey operation at the BBC's offices in Delhi and Mumbai, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached the "heights of dictatorship".
The I-T department conducted the operation earlier in the day as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion, according to officials.
The surprise action comes weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, "India: The Modi Question" even as the Centre blocked access to this series at multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing any links.
"Modi ji, you have reached the heights of dictatorship," said AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who is also the party's national spokesperson, in a tweet in Hindi, reacting sharply to the survey.
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