Image Source: TwitterThe “survey” conducted by the Income Tax authorities at the BBC headquarters in Delhi and Mumbai ended on Thursday after three days.
The agency had begun the operation on Tuesday, following which the computers and financial documents at the BBC headquarters were checked on the suspicion of “deliberate non-compliance with Indian regulations, including transfer pricing norms and unlawful diversion of earnings.” According to the statement, the IT department was primarily looking into “pricing manipulation for unlawful purposes, including tax advantages.”
As the survey entered its second day, the BBC instructed its personnel in India on Wednesday to cooperate with the IT Department and not erase any data from their personal devices.
The action by the IT department occurred only weeks after the release of a contentious two-part documentary titled India: The Modi Question, which focused on the 2002 Gujarat riots and the status of minorities in India. The authorities prohibited the documentary from being posted on social media networks.
While the governing BJP accused the BBC of spreading misinformation, the opposition and various journalist organisations slammed the poll. On Tuesday, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) published a statement stating that the move was in continuation with a practise of “using government institutions to intimidate and harass journalistic groups that are critical of government policies or the governing elite.”
