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Income Tax survey at BBC offices: No one is above law, says Union minister Anurag Thakur

Income Tax survey at BBC offices: No one is above law, says Union minister Anurag Thakur

Earlier in the day, the Opposition criticised Income Tax department's surveys at the BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices, which came shortly after a BBC documentary, 'India: The Modi Question', was released.

Earlier in the day, the Opposition criticised Income Tax department's surveys at the BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices, which came shortly after a BBC documentary, 'India: The Modi Question', was released Earlier in the day, the Opposition criticised Income Tax department's surveys at the BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices, which came shortly after a BBC documentary, 'India: The Modi Question', was released

Reacting to tax raids at British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in Delhi and Mumbai, Union minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said that “no one is above the law”. 
Earlier in the day, the Opposition criticised Income Tax department's surveys at the BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices, which came shortly after a BBC documentary, 'India: The Modi Question', was released that was “critical” of PM Narendra Modi. The Opposition termed the surveys as "heights of dictatorship" of the government.
On Tuesday, BJP said that if any organisation is working in India, they have to comply with the laws of the land and the IT department should be allowed to do its work.
Opposition parties linked the I-T survey to the BBC documentary, which based on the 2002 Gujarat riots. The BJP said the “timing of the Income Tax survey was not decided by any government or outside power" and the department should be allowed to do its work.
Criticising the “raids”, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said: "Time and again, there has been an assault on freedom of the Press under the Modi government. This is done with brazen and unapologetic vengeance to strangulate remotely critical voices." 
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too alleged that the I-T action showed that the BJP-led central government had reached the "heights of dictatorship".
In the past, the BJP had accused the news organisation of doing "venomous and shallow" reporting on India. 
The “survey” started this morning and will continue overnight, sources said. The Income Tax authorities are checking account details dating as far back as 2012. They added, are checking account details dating as far back as 2012.
The I-T officials have already checked the employees' personal laptops and cellphones. They have also checked desktops, searching individual logins of employees with the keyword "tax".
The I-T department "would share details about the survey," Thakur said. 
A PTI report stated that the recent IT Survey on BBC is being keenly watched by the international community. The UK is "closely monitoring" the situation of its public broadcaster.
Global media watchdogs and human rights bodies have also criticised the survey operations, saying the action "smacks of intimidation" and is a "blatant affront" to freedom of expression.

Published on: Feb 14, 2023, 10:26 PM IST
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