NOS News•
The Indian Revenue Service has raided BBC offices in India. The searches follow weeks after a British broadcaster critical documentary about Prime Minister Modi, which was banned by the Indian government.
The IRS searched the BBC’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai. One of the broadcaster’s journalists tells AFP news agency that the service has confiscated all telephones.
Government officials say to the Indian news agency Press Trust of India that the service looks at documents about the BBC’s business activities and those in relation to the Indian branch. The BBC has not yet commented on the raid.
Documentary over Modi
The BBC’s documentary about Prime Minister Modi recently led to tensions between the Indian government and the broadcaster. In India: The Modi Question the current prime minister is held “directly responsible” for the religious riots in Gujarat in 2002. He was the head of government of that state during that period.
The government of India spoke of “propaganda that lacks objectivity” and, citing a 2021 tech law, banned citizens from sharing the documentary online. The government also ordered Twitter and YouTube to remove videos and links to the documentary. Social media responded.
Still, it didn’t stop people from watching the documentary. The ban sparked a wave of criticism from opposition parties and rights groups, who labeled it an attack on press freedom. It also led to more attention for the documentary, with users sharing clips of the film on WhatsApp, Telegram and Twitter.
