Income tax conducts survey at BBCs Delhi, Mumbai offices; employees phones, computers seized
IT officials are verifying certain account documents in finance department of British public broadcaster in both Delhi and Mumbai
New Delhi, February 14: Income Tax officials are conducting 'survey' operations on Indian offices of the British public broadcaster BBC in both Delhi and Mumbai, sources said on Tuesday.
According to sources, IT officials were verifying certain account documents in the finance department of BBC. Income tax officials arrived at BBC offices located at the national capital's KG Marg for the survey. The British broadcaster's office at Kalina Santacruz in Mumbai was also surveyed, sources said, adding the survey was limited to business premises of BBC only.
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According to sources, officials said the devices would be returned to their owners after taking a backup. The searches come weeks after the BBC released a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi - 'India: The Modi Question," which caused a controversy.
On January 21, the Centre had issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi. The Supreme Court had on February 3 directed the central government to produce original records relating to its decision to block the BBC documentary.
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Student unions at several varsities including JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University, Panjab University and those in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the country had organised screenings of the documentary.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the government was after the BBC instead of accepting an Opposition demand on a Joint Parliamentary Committee on Adani-Hindenburg matter.
TMC's Mahua Moitra also took to Twitter and wrote, "Reports of Income Tax raid at BBC's Delhi office. Wow, really? How unexpected."
"Central Govt has embarrassed itself and the Country by raiding offices of BBC," Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a tweet.