Union minister Anurag Thakur reacts to IT action at BBC offices: 'Surveys conducted where irregularities found'

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday reacted to surveys being conducted by the Income Tax department at Mumbai and Delhi offices of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Thakur said such surveys are conducted from time to time where irregularities are found.

The action against the BBC comes in the aftermath of its controversial two-episode documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Income Tax Dept conducts surveys from time to time where irregularities are found, & when survey is completed, they give information. When this survey of IT will be completed, we'll give you all that information in detail," Anurag Thakur was quoted as saying by news agency ANI

𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗕𝗖 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗵𝗶 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗶 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲

Earlier in the day, Income tax officials reached BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai for what is now termed as 'survey'.

According to the TV reports, the mobile phones of the employees have been seized, and many of them have been asked to go home.

𝗕𝗕𝗖 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘆

After a massive furor over the documentary in the country, the Indian government condemned the BBC Panorama programme, which has not been screened in India, as a propaganda piece with a questionable agenda behind it. Last month, the BBC defended its controversial series as a “rigorously researched” documentary that sought to highlight important issues.

Last Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking a blanket ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in India, calling the petition “completely misconceived."