The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) issued a statement saying that it will continue to report without fear or favour, as the tax survey at the broadcaster’s India offices in New Delhi and Mumbai concluded on Thursday night.
On late Thursday night, the taxmen left the BBC offices after an extensive three-day tax survey which involved cloning data from digital devices and going through documents at the British national broadcaster’s offices in India.
In a statement issued on Twitter, BBC confirmed that the tax survey has ended, adding that they will continue to fully cooperate with the Indian tax authorities.
Confirming the news on Twitter, the UK national broadcaster said that they will continue to cooperate with the authorities.
Read the BBC’s statement in its entirety posted by the broadcaster’s PR team on Twitter:
The income tax authorities have left our offices in Delhi and Mumbai. We will continue to cooperate with the authorities and hope matters are resolved as soon as possible.
We are supporting staff – some of whom have faced lengthy questioning or been required to stay overnight – and their welfare is our priority. Our output is back to normal and we remain committed to serving our audiences in India and beyond.
The BBC is a trusted, independent media organisation and we stand by our colleagues and journalists who will continue to report without fear or favour.
On Tuesday, sleuths from the Income Tax (IT) Department, began survey exercises at the Delhi and Mumbai offices of UK national broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Reports quoting sources had said a team of 15 officials from the IT department swooped down on BBC’s Mumbai and Delhi offices and conducted survey operations over allegations related to of International Taxation and Transfer Pricing irregularities.
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According to reports, the IT department scrutinized documents related to the broadcaster’s day-to-day business operations of the company and those related to its Indian arm.
In an official release, the Income Tax Department clarified that these exercises are classified as surveys and not raids as earlier reports had suggested, adding that as part of a survey, the department only covers the business premises of a company and does not raid residences and other locations of its promoters or directors.
Earlier, reports said that the IT department sleuths seized the mobile phones of the BBC employees in the morning and asked them to go home, while employees scheduled for afternoon shift at BBC’s Delhi office were told to work from home.
The IT survey comes in the backdrop of BBC’s controversial two-part documentary titled India: The Modi Question, which raises questions over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role and alleged inaction during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The controversial documentary –which questions PM Modi’s role during the infamous 2002 Godhra riots and his effect on the rise of militant Hindu nationalism in the country– has been banned by the Centre on YouTube and other social media platforms and posts containing any links to the series on social media were actively taken down.
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