Indian Income Tax Department Searches BBC Offices in Delhi and Mumbai, Raising Questions About Freedom of Press

On Tuesday, the Indian Income Tax Department searched the offices of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in New Delhi and Mumbai. This comes weeks after the BBC released a documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has been met with controversy.

The BBC confirmed that teams from the tax department searched their offices in both cities, and that they were looking at documents related to the BBC’s business operations and those related to its Indian arm. Private security guards were seen outside the BBC’s office in New Delhi.

The Editors Guild of India released a statement saying that the investigation is “undemocratic” and “reeks of desperation”, and that it is “a trend of using government agencies to intimidate and harass press organizations that are critical of government policies or the ruling establishment.” K.C. Venugopal, general secretary of the opposition, echoed these sentiments in a tweet.

Rights groups and opposition politicians have also denounced the move as an intimidation tactic intended to quash the media. The BBC’s employees have asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The BBC has yet to comment on the investigation, but it is clear that the Indian government’s actions have raised serious questions about the freedom of the press in the country. It remains to be seen what the outcome of the investigation will be.