The BBC reported on Tuesday that some of its employees have been ordered to stay at their Delhi and Mumbai offices in order to assist with the ongoing investigations of the Income Tax (I-T) authorities, and the UK government is closely monitoring the situation.
Although the action has not received an official announcement, British government officials claimed they are closely watching claims of tax surveys carried out at the BBC’s India operations.
While stating that it cannot comment on the survey at this time, the United States underlined that it appreciates journalistic freedom in its response.
The officials in New Delhi and Mumbai claims that, the surveys were conducted to look into problems with international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies. They claimed that the broadcaster had previously received notices but had been ‘defiant and non-compliant’ and had significantly diverted its profits.
The incident occurred a few weeks after a divisive two-part documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots, India: The Modi Question, was broadcast by a public broadcaster with headquarters in the UK.
A general consensus has emerged that the incident was related to the contentious BBC documentary on Prime Minister Modi that was shown in the UK last month, which caused shock as the news of the action broke early on Tuesday morning.
Dr. Mukulika Banerjee, a renowned author and professor at the London School of Economics said, ‘everyone is astonished and no one is misled that today’s tax survey, as it’s being dubbed, is a retaliation to the recent BBC documentary India: The Modi Question’ (LSE).
Since the BBC is an independent public broadcaster, it is not carrying out the British government’s instructions when it releases a documentary. In reality, BBC reporters frequently question the British prime minister and every elected official, demanding an explanation of their conduct. She said that the word independent simply means that.
A human rights group headquartered in the UK named South Asia Solidarity Group described it as a plainly vengeful action.
The two-part documentary series about Prime Minister Modi was denounced by the Indian government last month as propaganda for a certain debunked thesis.
When it was shown in the UK last month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) criticised it for its evident bias, lack of objectivity, and persistent colonial mindset.
At the end of last month, the documentary also served as the catalyst for organised protests by members of the Indian diaspora at BBC headquarters in various UK cities.
In response to the protests, the UK government reiterated its commitment to strengthening ties with India in the House of Commons while also emphasising that the BBC is an independent media source.
We are aware of the impact this image of the Indian administration has had there. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said earlier this month, ‘I made it plain that the BBC is independent in its production that the UK considers India as an immensely vital foreign partner and that we will be spending considerably in that relationship in the next decades.’
The BBC is autonomous in its content, and we would emphasise that we continue to see India as an extremely important international partner, as stated by the official spokeswoman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street.
Over the ensuing decades, we will make significant investments in our relationship with India, and we are convinced that it will only get stronger.
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