I-T Department conducts raids at BBC's Delhi, Mumbai offices: Report
The Income Tax Department has started conducting raids at the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) offices in Delhi and Mumbai, reported Economic Times. According to ANI, the department's searches at the BBC offices began on Tuesday morning. Further details are still awaited. Notably, the United Kingdom's public broadcaster, BBC, recently triggered a major row in India with its controversial documentary on PM Narendra Modi.
Why does this story matter?
The development comes weeks after the Centre banned the BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question, branding it as colonial propaganda. In defiance of the ban, various student groups and organizations screened the documentary across India and moved the Supreme Court against the alleged "censorship." Last week, the top court issued a notice to the Centre following appeals challenging its move to ban the documentary.
Survey conducted to verify several documents: Officials
According to reports, the I-T Department conducted surveys at BBC's offices in New Delhi and Mumbai to verify documents as part of an alleged tax evasion investigation. Some employees were also allegedly asked to leave the office. However, they made no mention of the current controversy surrounding BBC's Modi documentary, which questioned PM Modi's alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
I-T Department reviewing BBC's activities in India
According to PTI, nearly 70 officials are reviewing records linked to the business activities of the broadcaster and its Indian unit. Meanwhile, no one was allowed to enter or leave the BBC office during the survey; the phones of the officials involved in it were also turned off. Reportedly, the officers also took the phones of BBC officials at the beginning of the survey.
Watch: Visuals outside BBC's Delhi office during operation
SC junked PIL seeking complete ban on BBC in India
Separately, on Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking a complete ban on BBC in India over its documentary on Modi and its allegations linked to the 2002 Gujarat riots. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh termed the PIL, filed by the Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta, as "completely misconceived."
How can a documentary affect the country: SC
To recall, the SC bench had asked how a documentary could affect the country during the hearing. "Completely misconceived, how can this be argued also? Do you want us to put complete censorship?" it asked the petitioner's counsel. Senior advocate Pinky Anand, representing the petitioner, had argued that BBC was "deliberately maligning India's image" while urging the admission of the PIL.
What do we know about BBC controversy?
Last month, BBC released a documentary titled India: The Modi Question, which allegedly delves into Modi's approach toward Muslims, the country's largest religious minority. In Gujarat, communal riots erupted in 2002 after a mob reportedly torched a train near Godhra Railway Station, burning 59 Hindu pilgrims alive. The incident was blamed on Muslims, and the subsequent carnage claimed nearly 1,050 lives, per official figures.
