Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 14: A team of 15 officials from the Income Tax Department conducted a survey operation at BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday.
As per information, the Income Tax Department is carrying out searches across BBC premises over allegations of irregularities in international taxation and transfer pricing. However, the exact reason for the survey is still unknown.
Income Tax officials reached BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices today. They are doing verification of certain documents in the Account of Finance Department of BBC. Dept has impounded a few mobile phones & laptops/desktops of persons of the account and finance department: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2023
The search comes weeks after the BBC released a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi – ‘India: The Modi Question,’ which sparked controversy.
The Income Tax Department is searching for documents related to the company’s business operations and those related to its Indian arm.
Meanwhile, the mobile phones of the employees were seized and they were asked to go home, while those working on the afternoon shift at the BBC’s Delhi office were told to work from home.
The Income Tax sleuths will take backup of electronic devices and hand it over back to the persons: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2023
The Income Tax Department’s is also monitoring the BBC premises in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) area.
Moreover, Congress reacted to IT officials reaching out to the BBC offices.
पहले BBC की डॉक्यूमेंट्री आई, उसे बैन किया गया।
अब BBC पर IT का छापा पड़ गया है।
अघोषित आपातकाल
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 14, 2023
“First came the BBC documentary, it was banned. Now IT has raided BBC. Undeclared emergency,” tweeted Congress.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh also took potshots at the current government.
यहां हम अडानी के मामले में JPC की मांग कर रहे हैं और वहां सरकार BBC के पीछे पड़ी हुई है।
'विनाशकाले विपरीत बुद्धि'
: @Jairam_Ramesh जी pic.twitter.com/PvQ57tMTVP
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 14, 2023
“The government is after the BBC while here we demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee(JPC) on Adani’s matter.” tweeted Jairam Ramesh.
As part of the survey, the department only covers the BBC’s business premises and does not raid residences and other locations of its promoters or directors.
Notably, the BBC came into light after its contentious documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi– ‘India: The Modi Question’. The documentary charts Prime Minister Modi’s tenure as the Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots in 2002, which questioned his leadership during the riots.
