"No One Is Above Law": Minister Anurag Thakur On Tax Survey At BBC Offices

Union minister Anurag Thakur today doubled down on the Income Tax Department "survey" at the Delhi and Mumbai offices of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), saying, "No one is above the law". Amid opposition criticism of the Income Tax Department action, which comes shortly after the huge controversy over a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP has accused the news organization of doing "venomous and shallow" reporting on India.

The party has also said if any organisation is working in India, they have to comply with Indian laws and the IT department should be allowed to do its work.

The "survey" -- linked to alleged tax evasion -- which started this morning, will continue overnight, sources said. The Income Tax authorities, they added, are checking account details dating as far back as 2012.

The tax officials have already checked the employees' personal laptops and cellphones. They have also checked desktops, searching individual logins of employees with the keyword "tax".

The Income Tax department "would share details about survey," the minister said.

The IT Survey on BBC is being keenly watched by the international community. The UK is "closely monitoring" the situation of its public broadcaster, reported news agency Press Trust of India quoting British government sources.

Global media watchdogs and human rights bodies have also criticised the survey operations, saying the action "smacks of intimidation" and is a "blatant affront" to freedom of expression.

In a statement, the New York-based independent non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists said, "Indian authorities have used tax investigations as a pretext to target critical news outlets before, and must cease harassing BBC employees immediately, in line with the values of freedom that should be espoused in the world's largest democracy".

Its Asia programme coordinator Beh Lih Yi said: "Raiding the BBC's India offices in the wake of a documentary criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi smacks of intimidation".

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders called it an "outrageous reprisal".

In India, the opposition has accused the central government of "dictatorship". "The IT raid at BBC's offices reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi government is scared of criticism… This undemocratic and dictatorial attitude cannot go on any longer," tweeted senior Congress leader KC Venugopal.

"Today the central government has abandoned even the minimum sense of shame, and has become a global laughingstock. If you find the BBC documentary wrong, then go to court. You are not adopting any legal methods, it is clear that the central government also knows that the BBC documentary is correct," senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said.

Accusing the Congress of supporting anti-India narratives, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, " BBC is the most corrupt organisation in the world. BBC propaganda matches with Congress agenda".