Editors Guild deeply concerned about I-T survey at BBC offices

The surveys by the I-T department are in continuation of a trend of using government agencies to intimidate and harass press organisations, the statement said

The Editors Guild of India on Tuesday equated the IT survey at the BBC offices with that of central agencies' actions against NewsClick, Newslaundry, Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar after critical reportage of Modi government, saying the trend undermines Constitutional democracy.

In a statement, a "deeply concerned" Editors Guild said that the action comes "soon after" the release of a two-part documentary by the BBC on the 2002 Gujarat riots and the current status of the minorities in the country.

The documentaries "stirred political waters" with the government criticising the BBC for "wrong and prejudiced" reportage on the Gujarat violence, and attempted to ban online access and viewing of the films in India, it said.

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"The surveys by the IT department are in continuation of a trend of using government agencies to intimidate and harass press organisations that are critical of government policies or the ruling establishment," the statement said.

The statement referred to a "similar" IT Department survey of NewsClick and Newslaundry in September 2021 and in June 2021 against Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar. In February 2021, the statement said, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted raids at the office of NewsClick.

"In each case, the raids and surveys were against the backdrop of critical coverage of the government establishment by the news organisations. This is a trend that undermines constitutional democracy," the Editors Guild said.

It demanded that "great care and sensitivity" be shown in all such investigations so as to not undermine the rights of journalists and media organisations.

Further, it said, the Guild reiterates its earlier demand that governments ensure that such investigations are conducted within the prescribed rules and that they don’t degenerate into instruments of harassment to intimidate independent media.