• Phones and laptops have reportedly been seized in the Income Tax Department's operation, classified as a 'survey'
An Income Tax Department team on Tuesday "surveyed" the Delhi and Mumbai offices of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and reportedly seized phones and laptops. The raids came days after a BBC documentary criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, sources have claimed that the I-T department was looking for documents related to the business operations of the company.
I-T 'survey' in BBC office: what do we know so far?
Operations carried out by the Income Tax Department are classified as "surveys", which is a less serious form than searches. This includes asking for information by visiting the premises of the assessee during business hours only.
A senior official of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said, "Surveys are being conducted at BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai, not searches." Further details about the tax dispute are not yet known.
What did the BBC say?
BBC News released a statement and said they are "cooperating fully" with the tax authorities.
"Income Tax officials are currently at BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are co-operating fully. We expect this situation to be resolved as soon as possible," BBC News said in a tweet.
The development came against the backdrop of the BBC's controversial documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots, for which the UK national broadcaster faced a lot of backlash from both India and abroad. The documentary was later banned in India.
The ban on the documentary is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court and the top court has sought a response from the central government. The petitioners have invoked Article 19 and stated that the "right to receive and disseminate information" is also part of the freedom of speech and expression.
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