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India’s BBC raid an ‘affront’ to free speech and democracy by Modi government, critics say
- The searches came weeks after the BBC aired a documentary critical of PM Narendra Modi actions during deadly sectarian riots in 2002
- Four local media outlets were also searched by tax officials in 2021 after carrying reports criticising government actions, the Editors Guild of India said
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Indian tax authorities on Wednesday continued day two of their raid at the BBC’s offices in the country, with activists and opposition politicians denouncing the move as an attempt to intimidate the media, in the world’s largest democracy.
The search at the New Delhi and Mumbai offices came only weeks after the British broadcaster aired a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions during deadly sectarian riots in 2002, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.
Although the BBC did not broadcast the documentary in India, Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) invoked emergency powers to swiftly block clips from being shared on social media on January 21. Twitter and YouTube were quick to comply with the government’s request.
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India’s Income Tax Department has not released a statement on what they were searching for at the broadcaster’s offices.
But local Indian media reports citing unnamed government sources said the British broadcaster was in “deliberate non-compliance” with its regulations.
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Indian tax officials raid BBC offices weeks after UK broadcaster airs Modi documentary
Indian tax officials raid BBC offices weeks after UK broadcaster airs Modi documentary
The BBC has stood by its reporting of the documentary and said it was cooperating with Indian tax officials.
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