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Income Tax 'survey' of BBC's Delhi, Mumbai offices: What the world said
Global media watchdogs and human rights bodies on Tuesday criticised the income tax survey operations at the BBC’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai.
As the Income Tax Department's survey continued for a second day at the British Broadcasting Company’s (BBC) offices in New Delhi and Mumbai on Wednesday, the United States, Amnesty International, New York-based independent non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) along with the United States reacted on the same.
Reacting on the survey, Amnesty International tweeted, "These raids are a blatant affront to freedom of expression." Ex-Amnesty India head Aakar Patel said, “Indian authorities are clearly trying to harass and intimidate the BBC. Overbroad powers of the Income Tax Department are repeatedly being weaponised to silence dissent."
New York-based independent non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the Indian government to stop harassing journalists and said, “Indian authorities have used tax investigations as a pretext to target critical news outlets before, and must cease harassing BBC employees immediately, in line with the values of freedom that should be espoused in the world’s largest democracy."
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Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticised the survey.
“The searches by the tax authorities of the offices of @BBCWorld in #Inde , 3 weeks after the censorship of his documentary on @narendramodi, constitute an outrageous reprisal, “ the RSF said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, the United States said it is aware of the survey at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in New Delhi but it is not in a position to offer any judgment.
US State Dept spokesperson Ned Price in his response acknowledged that the US was aware of the searches in the BBC office in India while adding, "I would need to refer you to the Indian authorities for the details of this search. Beyond this discrete action, what I’ll say more broadly is the general point that I have consistently made in this context, but in a universal context as well... to say more broadly that we support the importance of free press around the world."
I-T officials - who have not made a formal statement explaining the reason for the 'survey' - have been present at the offices since 11.30 am on Tuesday.
The Indian government has said detailed information will be released when the 'survey' is completed. Union minister Anurag Thakur said, "Income Tax department conducts surveys… where irregularities are found… when survey is completed they give information by a press note or press briefing."
The British national broadcaster late last night urged staff to continue to co-operate with ongoing enquiries; it said it was cooperating fully with the authorities and that it hopes to resolve the situation 'as soon as possible'.
"The Income Tax authorities remain at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai. Many staff have now left the building but some have been asked to remain and are continuing to co-operate with the ongoing enquiries."
"We are supporting our staff and continue to hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible. Our output and journalism continues as normal."
READ | As 'survey' continues, BBC says some staff asked to remain in office
The visit from tax officials comes less than a month after the BBC released a two-part documentary, 'India: The Modi Question', which looked at the 2002 Gujarat riots, and was dismissed as the Indian government as ‘propaganda’.
A Central Board of Direct Taxes official confirmed to HT that officials were at the BBC office in New Delhi. "It is a survey and not a raid," he said.
A second official said that the department was investigating ‘certain matters related to BBC based on definite inputs of some irregularities’.
READ | I-T 'survey' at BBC's Delhi, Mumbai offices sparks row
"Surveys are conducted to ascertain these irregularities. Only after completion of survey, it would be ascertained whether there are any deliberate irregularities or not," the second official said, asking not to be named.
