Income Tax raid at BBC office in Mumbai, Delhi

The Income Tax department is conducting survey at the BBC office in Delhi and Mumbai, news agency ANI has reported citing sources on 14 February.

The searches are being done as part of tax evasion investigation.

Officials told sources that department is looking at documents related to the business operations of the company and those related to its Indian arm.

Meanwhile, this searches also comes weeks after Centre blocked the sharing of clips of a BBC documentary that questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership during deadly riots in 2002 in the western state of Gujarat.

Congress has reacted to searches at the BBC office and has called it an “undeclared emergency."

TMC MP Mahua Moitra who has been launching attack on the Union government over the Adani-Hindenburg issue has also commented on the raid at BBC office.

On 10 February, the Supreme Court of India had dismissed a plea seeking a complete ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary on PM Modi and the Gujarat riots. “It is entirely misconceived," the court had said.

On January 21, the central government had issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial documentary.