"Destroying Freedom of Press...": MK Stalin On BBC Tax "Searches"

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday slammed the Income Tax department's 'survey' of the offices of the British public broadcaster BBC alleging that the central government was destroying Indian Democracy and Freedom of the Press.

Taking to Twitter the Tamil Nadu chief minister tweeted, "Those misusing the people's mandate and are responsible for destroying Indian Democracy and Freedom of Press should remember that the people of this country are silently watching you and will give a fitting lesson in the impending elections."

He further alleged that the BJP regime at the Centre has destroyed institutions such as the CBI, ED, and IT department and they are their lasted tools used to target political opponents. Their recent addition to the list is the Income Tax 'survey' on BBC.

In another tweet MK Stalin lashed out at the BJP-led Union Government and said, "Transparent and independent institutions are vital for any vibrant democracy. However, under the present BJP-led Union Government, the prestigious institutions of this country have become arbitrary and completely lost independence."

Earlier on Tuesday, Income tax officials arrived at BBC offices located at the national capital's KG Marg for the survey. The British broadcaster's office at Kalina Santacruz in Mumbai was also surveyed, sources said adding that the survey was limited to the business premises of BBC only.

It was learnt that the tax officials are conducting verification of certain account documents in the finance department of the BBC offices.

During the investigation, the mobile phones of all the employees present in the BBC office have been taken away by the Income Tax team. The data of the computer kept in the accounts and finance department was also scanned. According to sources, officials said the devices will be returned to their owners after taking a backup.

The searches came weeks after the BBC released a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi - 'India: The Modi Question," which caused controversy on January 21, the Centre had issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi. The Supreme Court had on February 3 directed the central government to produce original records relating to its decision to block the BBC documentary.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)