"Will Continue To Report Without Fear Or Favour": BBC As Tax 'Survey' Ends

The income tax officials left the offices of the BBC in New Delhi and Mumbai on Thursday night after a three-day survey which involved going through files and cloning data from some digital devices. Confirming the news on Twitter, the UK national broadcaster said that they will continue to cooperate with the authorities.

Here is the full statement issued by BBC after the income tax 'survey' ended:

The income tax authorities have left our offices in Delhi and Mumbai. We will continue to cooperate with the authorities and hope matters are resolved as soon as possible.

We are supporting staff - some of whom have faced lengthy questioning or been required to stay overnight - and their welfare is our priority. Our output is back to normal and we remain committed to serving our audiences in India and beyond.

The BBC is a trusted, independent media organisation and we stand by our colleagues and journalists who will continue to report without fear or favour.

The searches came weeks after a massive controversy over BBC's documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the deadly sectarian riots in Gujarat in 2002.

The two-part series, "India: The Modi Question", was taken down from public platforms last month. The Centre used emergency powers under IT Rules to block YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary. The government slammed the documentary as "hostile propaganda and anti-India garbage".

The opposition accused the government of targeting the BBC for airing a documentary critical of PM Modi over the riots that swept Gujarat in 2002 when he was Chief Minister.