An Indian tax probe at the Delhi and Mumbai offices of the BBC continued a second day Wednesday, weeks after the broadcaster aired a documentary about the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged role in the violence in his home state.
An Indian government official with direct knowledge of the matter said tax department staff continued their investigation at both locations but didn't give any other information. The official asked not to be named citing the private nature of the matter.
"The income tax authorities remain at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai," a BBC spokesperson in London said late Tuesday, indicating the inquiry continued late into the night. "Many staff have now left the building but some have been asked to remain and are continuing to cooperate with the ongoing enquiries."
The BBC had restricted broadcast of the two-part documentary, "India: The Modi Question," in the South Asian nation. The country's foreign ministry had dismissed the film, aired in January, as a "propaganda" piece. The government also ordered social media giants Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s YouTube to take down tweets and videos about the film.
"We are supporting our staff during this time and continue to hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible," the spokesperson for the broadcaster added. "Our output and journalism continues as normal and we are committed to serving our audiences in India." She gave no other details.
The gates of the central Delhi building where the BBC office in the Indian capital is located were locked and the elevators were not stopping at the level where the broadcaster's office is located.
The Editors Guild of India and the Press Club of India both voiced concerns about the government action.
The Press Club is deeply concerned that the government’s action on an international broadcasting network will damage the reputation and image of India as the world’s largest democracy. We urge the govt to restrain its agencies from misusing their powers to intimidate the media pic.twitter.com/h41vQjeWVs
— Press Club of India (@PCITweets) February 14, 2023
The BBC documentary once again raised the charge, made by many human rights groups, that Modi, who was chief minister of Gujarat at the time of the 2002 riots, did little to quell them. He denied the allegations that were later dismissed by India's Supreme Court.
More than 1,000 people — mostly Muslims — were killed in the sectarian violence across the state after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was burned, allegedly by a Muslim mob.
The BBC is the "most corrupt corporation in the world," Gaurav Bhatia, a spokesman of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, told reporters in New Delhi Tuesday, adding the news organization's reporting against India was "venomous."
The spokesperson of the income tax office did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
India's civil society and independent media groups have accused Modi's government of creating an atmosphere of fear for activists since it came to power in 2014. In 2020 Amnesty International shut down its India operations after what it called "constant harassment" from government agencies, including the freezing of its bank accounts in the country.
