Income Tax Dept raids Dainik Bhaskar Group's offices: Watch political reactions

• The income tax dept raided premises of Dainik Bhaskar Group on Thursday morning. The raids across the country were reportedly conducted in a suspected tax evasion case. Searches were conducted in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi. Premises of UP-based news channel Bharat Samachar were also raided in Lucknow. While, MP Congress chief Kamal Nath said raids were an attempt by the Centre to suppress the press. Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh slammed the I-T searches. Calling it an attempt to scare the media, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal condemned the raids. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot also slammed raids terming them an attempt to suppress their voice. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee urged those working in the media to stay strong. Meanwhile, union minister Anurag Thakur said that the agencies were doing their work and there was no interference in it. There was no official word from I-T dept or its policy-making body, CBDT, on the raids. Dainik Bhaskar Group publishes 5 newspapers with 65 editions in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati.