The US has made a public statement about taxing the BBC's Mumbai and Delhi offices. Foreign Office spokesman Ned Price told the media that the US was aware of the investigation by the I-T department of the BBC's Delhi bureau but could not make a decision.
Police stand outside the entrance to the office building where India's tax authorities raided the BBC offices in New Delhi on February 1
(AFP)
"We are aware of a search by the Indian Revenue Service at the BBC office in Delhi. I would like to refer you to the Indian authorities for details of that search. Apart from this discreet measure, I will make another general point that I have made consistently in this context, but also in the global context," Price said. to journalists.
He also said that a free press is important because it helps strengthen democracies. "We support the importance of a free press around the world. We continue to emphasize the importance of freedom of speech and freedom of religion or belief as human rights that contribute to the strengthening of democracies around the world. It has strengthened that democracy here. It strengthened Indian democracy," asserted Price.
Asked if the actions of the Indian Revenue Service were against the spirit or value of democracy, Price said: "I could not say. We are aware of the facts of these searches, but I simply cannot make a decision."
On Tuesday, I-T investigators raided the British BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai. According to officials, the department is examining the documents related to the business activities of the company and related to the Indian branch.
The surprise move came weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and India.
The Foreign Office accused the BBC of engaging in "anti-Indian propaganda". The BBC said that it "cooperated fully" with the authorities.
"Income Tax officials are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai," it said. "We hope this situation will be resolved as soon as possible."
The office of the BBC in New Delhi, spread over two floors of a residence in the commercial center of the capital, was blocked by police.
A BBC staffer in New Delhi said authorities had "confiscated all the phones" in the tax raid.
Last month, the BBC aired a two-part documentary claiming that Hindu nationalist Modi ordered the police to turn a blind eye to sectarian riots in Gujarat during his tenure as prime minister. At least 1,000 people died in the violence, most of whom were Muslim minorities.
The Indian government blocked videos and tweets sharing links to the documentary - which was not shown in India - using emergency powers under information technology laws.
