BBC India offices searched by income tax officials

BBC offices successful India person been searched arsenic portion of an probe by income taxation authorities.

The searches successful New Delhi and Mumbai travel weeks aft the broadcaster aired a documentary successful the UK captious of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The documentary focused connected the premier minister's relation successful anti-Muslim unit successful Gujarat successful 2002, erstwhile helium was main curate of the state.

The BBC said that it was "fully cooperating" with authorities.

"We anticipation to person this concern resolved arsenic soon arsenic possible," a abbreviated connection added.

Although the documentary was lone broadcast connected tv successful the UK, India's authorities has attempted to artifact radical sharing India: The Modi Question online, calling it "hostile propaganda and anti-India garbage" with a "colonial mind-set".

The president of the absorption Congress party, KC Venugopal, said Tuesday's hunt "reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi authorities is frightened of criticism".

"We condemn these intimidation tactics successful the harshest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial cognition cannot spell connected immoderate longer," helium tweeted.

The documentary tracks Mr Modi's archetypal steps into politics, including his emergence done the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to his assignment arsenic main curate of the occidental authorities of Gujarat.

It highlights a antecedently unpublished report, obtained by the BBC from the UK Foreign Office, which raises questions astir Mr Modi's actions during the spiritual riots.

The rioting began the time aft a bid carrying Hindu pilgrims was acceptable connected fire, sidesplitting dozens. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, died successful the consequent violence.

The Foreign Office study claims that Mr Modi was "directly responsible" for the "climate of impunity" that enabled the violence.

The study was portion of an enquiry ordered by the UK's then-foreign caput Jack Straw. It says that "the grade of unit was overmuch greater than reported" and "the purpose of the riots was to purge Muslims from Hindu areas".

Mr Modi has agelong rejected accusations against him, and has not apologised for the riots. In 2013, a Supreme Court sheet besides said determination was insufficient grounds to prosecute him.

The BBC said past period that the Indian authorities was offered a close to reply to the documentary but it declined.

The broadcaster said the movie was "rigorously researched" and "a wide scope of voices, witnesses and experts were approached, and we person featured a scope of opinions, including responses from radical successful the BJP".

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was asked successful Parliament past period by MP Imran Hussain if helium agreed that Mr Modi was straight liable for the unit and "what much did the overseas bureau cognize of his engagement successful this sedate enactment of taste cleansing?"

Mr Sunak said "we don't tolerate persecution anywhere", but added that "he did not hold with the characterisation" of Mr Modi.

The targeting of organisations seen arsenic captious of the authorities is not uncommon successful India.

In 2020, Amnesty International was forced to halt its India operations, with the radical accusing the authorities of pursuing a "witch-hunt" against quality rights organisations.

Oxfam was besides searched past twelvemonth on with different section non-government organisations.