Income Tax officials conducted a survey at the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai on Friday, over allegations of international taxation and transfer pricing irregularities involving the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). According to sources, around 20 officials searched the Delhi office of the BBC, while in Mumbai, BBC Studios, which deals with production, was searched. During the survey, documents were seized, and phones and laptops of journalists were taken away, the sources said. The offices will be sealed for the duration of the survey, and employees have been asked not to share details with anyone.
The Income Tax officials said that this was a survey, not a search, and that the phones would be returned. “We needed some clarifications, and for that, our team is visiting the BBC office, and we are carrying out a survey. Our officers have gone to check account books, these are not searches,” Income Tax sources asserted.
BBC was recently in the news for its two-part series, “India: The Modi Question,” which was taken down from public platforms last month. The documentary raised allegations linked to the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On January 21, the Centre, using emergency powers under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, directed blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial documentary.
Opposition leaders and students accused the government of blatant censorship, and organized public screenings of the documentary. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the government, saying, “Here we are asking for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani-Hindenburg row, and there the government is hounding BBC.”
