The News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) expressed its deep anguish over the Income Tax ‘surveys’ conducted at the offices of BBC, a member of NBDA, the association issued a statement on Tuesday.
The broadcasters association said, “it maintains that no institution is above the law, it condemns any attempt to muzzle and intimidate the media and interfere with the free functioning of journalists and media organizations”.
“Such attempts undermine the basic tenets of free speech as enshrined in the Constitution and severely affect the free and fearless functioning of a democracy,” it said.
It stated that such Income Tax ‘surveys’ lead to consistent harassment of the media, which also impacts the reputation and image of India as the world’s largest democracy. “NBDA urges the Government to ensure that any investigation undertaken by it, must be in strict adherence to the principles of natural justice and the prevalent laws,” the statement said.
The Income Tax Department conducted a survey operation at the BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday to investigate possible tax cheating, only weeks after the broadcaster aired the contentious two-part documentary “India: The Modi Question” on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The action by the Income Tax Department began at 11 a.m. at BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai. It was a “survey,” not a “raid,” according to officials.
The I-T department stated in a statement that the poll was being conducted to explore issues linked to international taxation, transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary firms, and profit diversion. It further noted that BBC had been served with notices in the past but was “defiant and non-compliant”.
The action provoked a political slugfest between BJP and Opposition parties, with Congress branding it “intimidation tactics” and AAP declaring that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reached the “heights of dictatorship”. The BJP, on the other hand, launched a ferocious reply, branding the BBC as the “most corrupt” organisation with little regard for India’s Constitution.
The two-part BBC series “India: The Modi Question” was removed from public platforms last month after the Centre declared a state of emergency under the IT Rules. The documentary was criticised by the administration as “hostile propaganda and anti-India garbage.”