NEW DELHI, Feb 15 (PTI): The Income Tax department carried out survey operation against the BBC India for a second day on Wednesday, clocking over 34 hours in total, with the sleuths seeking explanations from select staffers and collecting electronic and paper-based financial data, officials said.
The taxman launched the action on Tuesday at the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai offices along with at least two linked premises as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion by the British broadcaster in India.
The tax officials knocked at the doors of the BBC around 11:30 AM on Tuesday and they were present till late evening on Wednesday, the officials told PTI.
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Officials said the survey teams are seeking answers on financial transactions, the company structure and other details about the news company, and are copying data from electronic gadgets as part of their task of collecting the evidence.
They asserted the exercise will continue for some more time, saying the “exact time frame to call the operation closed rests entirely on the teams on the ground”.
The tax officials are speaking to BBC staffers in the finance and some other departments even as other staffers and journalists were allowed to move in and out of the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, the officials said.
The company, a staffer said, has informed the employees that they are cooperating with the investigators and that they will be informed once normalcy is restored in the office premises.
The survey is being carried out to investigate issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies, officials had said on Tuesday.
Opposition parties have denounced the IT action against the BBC, terming it political vendetta.
On Tuesday, the ruling BJP had accused the BBC of “venomous reporting” while the Opposition had questioned the timing of the action that came weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, “India: The Modi Question”, on the prime minister and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the action as “very unfortunate” and a political vendetta by the BJP-led central government.
The Congress party asked what image of the country was Prime Minister Narendra Modi projecting through such actions at a time when the country is hosting the G-20 summit.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said there was “nothing new” in the tax department’s survey operations at BBC offices as the BJP-led government had allegedly adopted similar measures against journalists in Kashmir.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi attacked the central government, saying when it suited the BJP during the Emergency period (1975-77) their leaders used to praise the foreign broadcaster.
While there has been no official statement from the Income Tax department on the action, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has said 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 said in an official Twitter post 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 continues as normal and we are committed to serving our audiences in India,” the post added.
As part of a survey, the Income Tax department only covers the business premises of a company and does not raid residences and other locations of its promoters or directors.
The Supreme Court last week dismissed a plea seeking the imposition of a complete ban on the BBC in India in the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition “entirely misconceived” and “absolutely meritless”.
Another set of petitions challenging the government’s decision to block the documentary will be heard in April next.
On January 21, the government issued directions to block multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.
