After clocking nearly 60 hours, the Income Tax department’s marathon “survey” operations at the Mumbai and Delhi offices of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) ended on Thursday at 10 PM, reported The Indian Express.
The BBC said that it stood beside its journalists and asked them to “continue to report without fear or favour”.
“We are supporting staff – some of whom have faced lengthy questioning or been required to stay overnight – and their welfare is our priority. Our output is back to normal and we remain committed to serving our audiences in India and beyond,” it said.
“The BBC is a trusted, independent media organisation and we stand by our colleagues and journalists who will continue to report without fear or favour,” it added.
The survey operations by tax officials which began on Tuesday at 11:30 AM came weeks after BBC released a two-part documentary titled “India: The Modi Question” which focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. The Centre used its emergency powers and banned the documentary on January 20.
Tax officials told news agency PTI that authorities have made and taken an inventory of the available stock, recorded the statement of some staffers and have impounded some documents as part of the survey action.
Government officials said that the surveys were conducted in view of BBC’s “deliberate non-compliance with the transfer pricing rules” and its “vast diversion of profits”, reported IE.
Opposition parties heavily came down at the Centre after the I-T department’s action against the London-headquartered public broadcaster, calling it “political vendetta” and an “undeclared emergency”. Meanwhile, the ruling BJP accused the BBC of unleashing “venomous reporting” against India, and claimed that the media firm “indulges in anti-India propaganda”.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia described the BBC as ‘Bhrasht Bakwaas Corporation’ (corrupt, rubbish, corporation).