I-T searches at BBC offices continue for second day

The 'survey' operations by the Income Tax Department against the BBC continued for the second day on Wednesday with investigators making copies of electronic and paper trail of financial data of the organisation even as criticism piled on the Narendra Modi government from more leaders and media bodies.

While BBC asked its employees to fully cooperate with the tax sleuths, investigators questioned staffers in finance and some other departments. Journalists and several non-journalists were allowed to leave on Tuesday night.

Investigators also took away computer peripherals and mobile phones as part of the investigation into allegations of tax evasion, officials said. The government faced criticism over the action as leaders and media bodies said the action came following the airing of a two-part documentary, which was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of 2002 riots when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.

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The I-T Department's action continued to attract criticism from several quarters with the Congress accusing the ruling BJP of promising 'Start Up India' but coming up with 'Shut Up India' in 'amrit kaal'. Congress Media Department Chairman Pawan Khera asked what image of India is Modi projecting through such actions at a time the country is going to host G-20 summit.

"When Modi-ji was dreaming of becoming the prime minister of the country, then he was a dedicated follower of the same BBC...By giving the slogan of 'Mother of Democracy', he himself has become the 'father of hypocrisy'," Khera told a press conference.

Khera said Modi received several awards from foreign entities but when some others criticised him, they were raided. When the Prime Minister was exposed by the BBC, he said, then he "used the agencies as frontal organisations to raid" the international broadcaster.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the "survey" of BBC offices as "very unfortunate" and said it was "political vendetta". She said such actions affect freedom of press and "one day there will be no media in the country.… They (BJP leaders) don’t care about people’s mandate, their only mandate is dictatorship. (They are) more than Hitler."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also critical of the action against the BJP and he said, "media is the fourth pillar of democracy and an attack on its freedom is similar to suppressing the voice of the public. Whoever speaks against the BJP, these people deploy CBI, ED and I-T behind him. Does the BJP want to crush the country's democratic system and institutions and turn the entire country into its slave?"

Media bodies News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) and Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists also condemned the government's action against the BBC.

The NBDA said it maintains that no institution is above the law but it condemns any attempt to muzzle and intimidate the media and interfere with the free functioning of journalists and media organisations.

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"Such attempts undermine the basic tenets of free speech as enshrined in the Constitution and severely affect the free and fearless functioning of a democracy. Such Income Tax ‘surveys’ leads to consistent harassment of the media, which also impacts the reputation and image of India as the world’s largest democracy," it said.

The NBDA urged the government to ensure that any investigation undertaken by it, must be in strict adherence with the principles of natural justice and the prevalent law.

The Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists "deplored the use of such intimidation and overkill which is tantamount to blatant harassment of the broadcaster", less than a month after it aired 'India: The Modi Question'.

"The manner in which the Union Government has used the weapon of raids on media houses that have shone a critical light on certain events and personalities is a cause of concern for every democratic citizen and organisation," he said.