Income Tax officials are surveying the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai offices and have confiscated employees’ phones. The UK government stated that it is “closely monitoring” the investigations into the broadcaster, as the survey is still ongoing after 19 hours.
As part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion, the BBC’s offices in Delhi, Mumbai, and two other locations began conducting surveys around 11 a.m. yesterday.
According to the Income Tax Department, the survey is being conducted to investigate issues concerning international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies.
It also claimed that the broadcaster had previously been served with notices, but was “defiant and non-compliant,” and had significantly diverted its profits.
I-T officials are reviewing documents about the company’s business operations as well as those about its Indian arm. Tax officials insisted that the phones would be returned because it was a survey, not a search.
The survey began on Tuesday around 11 a.m. at the BBC India office. Income-tax officials seized all electronic equipment on the premises and inspected the employees’ mobile phones.
Employees at the Delhi office had their cell phones confiscated and were told to go home.
The afternoon shift workers were asked to work from home.
According to sources, the IT officials searched for four keywords on the systems, including shell company, fund transfer, and foreign transfer.
As the survey continues, many employees are present at the BBC India office.
While no official statement has been issued regarding the action, British government sources have stated that they are “closely monitoring” “reports of tax surveys conducted at the offices of the BBC in India.
According to the BBC, it is fully cooperating with tax authorities.
The Editors Guild of India, on the other hand, expressed “deep concern” about the “searches” at BBC offices, calling them a continuation of a “trend” of using government agencies to “intimidate and harass” media outlets critical of the government.
The survey at the BBC India office comes just weeks after the UK-based public broadcaster aired India: The Modi Question, a two-part documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
“Here we are requesting a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the Adani-Hindenburg dispute, while the government is pursuing the BBC. Vinash Kaale Viprit Buddhi (when doomed, one makes bad choices), “Jairam Ramesh, Congress leader, stated.
In a tweet, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra stated, “There have been reports of an Income Tax raid at the BBC’s Delhi office. Wow, truly? What a surprise.”
The ruling BJP accused the BBC of “venomous, shallow, and agenda-driven reporting,” and said the IRS should be allowed to do its job.
