The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Tuesday expressed deep concerns about the Income Tax Department “surveys” being carried out at the Delhi and Mumbai offices of BBC India.
“Is distressed by the continuing trend of government agencies being used to intimidate and harass news organisations that are critical of ruling establishment,” the EGI said in a statement.
The statement came after Income Tax authorities conducted a survey operation at the BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion.
The action, news agency PTI reported, is carried out to investigate some international taxation and transfer pricing issues. The broadcaster said it was “fully cooperating” with the tax authorities.
The guild noted that the I-T survey came soon after the release of two documentaries by the BBC on the 2002 violence in Gujarat and the current status of the minorities in India.
The documentaries stirred political waters, with the government criticising the BBC for wrong and prejudiced reportage on the Gujarat violence and attempting to ban online access and viewing of the films in India, it said.
It recalled that IT surveys were conducted in 2021 at the offices of NewsClick, Newslaundry, Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar.
“In each case, the raids and surveys were against the backdrop of critical coverage of the government establishment by the news organisations,” the Guild said.
“This is a trend that undermines constitutional democracy,” it said.
The guild reiterated its earlier demand that governments ensure that such investigations are conducted within the prescribed rules and that they don’t degenerate into instruments of harassment to intimidate independent media.
(With inputs from agencies)
