Trend that undermines constitutional democracy’: Editors Guild on I-T survey at BBC offices

The action is being carried out to investigate some international taxation and transfer pricing issues. The BBC maintained it was “fully cooperating” with the tax authorities.

“The survey by the I-T department is 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 Guild said in a statement Tuesday evening.

The I-T survey came soon after the release of two documentaries by the BBC on the 2002 violence in Gujarat and the current status of the minorities in India, it pointed out.

The Guild also recalled that I-T surveys were conducted at the offices of NewsClick, Newslaundry, Dainik Bhaskar, and Bharat Samachar in 2021. “In each case, the raids and surveys were against the backdrop of critical coverage of the government establishment by the news organisations,” the Guild said.

“This is a trend that undermines constitutional democracy,” it added. The Guild reiterated that governments should ensure that such investigations are conducted within the prescribed rules and that they don’t degenerate into instruments of harassment to intimidate independent media.