I-T dept survey on BBC India continues for second day 

By PTI

NEW DELHI:  The Income Tax division survey operation in opposition to BBC India continued for the second day with the sleuths understood to be making copies of digital and paper-based monetary knowledge of the organisation, officers stated Wednesday.

The tax division had launched the motion on Tuesday on the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai workplaces together with at the least two linked premises as a part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion in opposition to the British broadcaster in India.

Sleuths knocked on the doorways of the BBC round 11:30 AM on Tuesday and they’re nonetheless current, sources conscious of the event advised PTI.

The tax officers are chatting with staffers of the BBC within the finance and another departments at the same time as different staffers and journalists had been allowed to go away Tuesday night time.

Some pc peripherals and cell phones had been cloned as a part of the operation, officers had stated.

The motion, which sparked a pointy political debate with the ruling BJP accusing the BBC of “venomous reporting” and the opposition questioning the timing of the transfer, got here weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, “India: The Modi Question”, on the prime minister and the 2002 Gujarat riots.

ALSO READ | Tax survey on BBC sparks furore

The survey is being carried out to research points associated to worldwide taxation and switch pricing of BBC subsidiary firms, officers stated on Tuesday.

While there was no official assertion from the Income Tax division on the motion, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has stated it was cooperating with the authorities.

“The Income Tax Authorities remain at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai. Many staff have now left the building, but some have been asked to remain and are continuing to cooperate with the ongoing enquiries,” a BBC News Press Team stated in an official Twitter put up at 10:26 pm on Tuesday.

“We are supporting our staff during this time and continue to hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible. Our output and journalism continue as normal and we are committed to serving our audiences in India,” the put up added.

As a part of a survey, the Income Tax division solely covers the enterprise premises of an organization and doesn’t raid residences and different areas of its promoters or administrators.

ALSO READ | Editors Guild ‘deeply involved’ about I-T survey at BBC workplaces

The Supreme Court final week dismissed a plea searching for the imposition of an entire ban on the BBC in India within the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition “entirely misconceived” and “absolutely meritless”.

Another set of petitions difficult the federal government’s resolution to dam the documentary shall be heard in April subsequent.

On January 21, the federal government issued instructions to dam a number of YouTube movies and Twitter posts sharing hyperlinks to the documentary.

NEW DELHI:  The Income Tax division survey operation in opposition to BBC India continued for the second day with the sleuths understood to be making copies of digital and paper-based monetary knowledge of the organisation, officers stated Wednesday.

The tax division had launched the motion on Tuesday on the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai workplaces together with at the least two linked premises as a part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion in opposition to the British broadcaster in India.

Sleuths knocked on the doorways of the BBC round 11:30 AM on Tuesday and they’re nonetheless current, sources conscious of the event advised PTI.

The tax officers are chatting with staffers of the BBC within the finance and another departments at the same time as different staffers and journalists had been allowed to go away Tuesday night time.

Some pc peripherals and cell phones had been cloned as a part of the operation, officers had stated.

The motion, which sparked a pointy political debate with the ruling BJP accusing the BBC of “venomous reporting” and the opposition questioning the timing of the transfer, got here weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, “India: The Modi Question”, on the prime minister and the 2002 Gujarat riots.

ALSO READ | Tax survey on BBC sparks furore

The survey is being carried out to research points associated to worldwide taxation and switch pricing of BBC subsidiary firms, officers stated on Tuesday.

While there was no official assertion from the Income Tax division on the motion, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has stated it was cooperating with the authorities.

“The Income Tax Authorities remain at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai. Many staff have now left the building, but some have been asked to remain and are continuing to cooperate with the ongoing enquiries,” a BBC News Press Team stated in an official Twitter put up at 10:26 pm on Tuesday.

“We are supporting our staff during this time and continue to hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible. Our output and journalism continue as normal and we are committed to serving our audiences in India,” the put up added.

As a part of a survey, the Income Tax division solely covers the enterprise premises of an organization and doesn’t raid residences and different areas of its promoters or administrators.

ALSO READ | Editors Guild ‘deeply involved’ about I-T survey at BBC workplaces

The Supreme Court final week dismissed a plea searching for the imposition of an entire ban on the BBC in India within the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition “entirely misconceived” and “absolutely meritless”.

Another set of petitions difficult the federal government’s resolution to dam the documentary shall be heard in April subsequent.

On January 21, the federal government issued instructions to dam a number of YouTube movies and Twitter posts sharing hyperlinks to the documentary.