India's BBC raid an 'affront' to free speech and democracy by Modi government, critics say

Indian tax authorities on Wednesday continued day two of their raid at the BBC's offices in the country, with activists and opposition politicians denouncing the move as an attempt to intimidate the media, in the world's largest democracy.

The search at the New Delhi and Mumbai offices came only weeks after the British broadcaster aired a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's actions during deadly sectarian riots in 2002, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

Although the BBC did not broadcast the documentary in India, Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) invoked emergency powers to swiftly block clips from being shared on social media on January 21. Twitter and YouTube were quick to comply with the government's request.

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India's Income Tax Department has not released a statement on what they were searching for at the broadcaster's offices.

But local Indian media reports citing unnamed government sources said the British broadcaster was in "deliberate non-compliance" with its regulations.

The BBC has stood by its reporting of the documentary and said it was cooperating with Indian tax officials.

On Tuesday, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said in a press conference that all companies, including media agencies, must obey the law.

"Anyone, any agency, whether tied to the media, a company, if they are working in India, they must follow and respect Indian law," he said. "If they follow the law, then why should they be scared or worried? Let the Income Department do its job."

Journalist groups and opposition politicians shared concerns that the move is part of an ongoing trend of stifling free press in the country.

The Editors Guild of India described the tax department's raid as a "continuation of a trend of using government agencies to intimidate and harass press organisations that are critical of government policies or the ruling establishment".

"This is a trend that undermines constitutional democracy," it said.

K.C. Venugopal, general secretary of the opposition Congress party called the investigation "undemocratic" in a tweet, adding that the move "reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi government is scared of criticism".

This is not the first time Indian authorities have come under fire for targeting news organisations seen as critical of Modi and his party.

In its statement, the Editors Guild pointed to four local media outlets - including NewsLaundry and Dainik Bhaskar - that were searched by tax officials in 2021 after carrying reports criticising government actions.

"Media outlets have been under pressure in India, and this is the latest episode where even an international organisation like the BBC is being targeted and intimidated by the government," said Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research (CPR) in New Delhi.

But it's not only media outlets that have been targeted.

Last year, India sent tax inspectors to investigate the local arm of leading think-tank Oxfam.

And in 2020, human rights group Amnesty International was forced to halt its operations in the country after the government froze its bank accounts following raids on its offices.

Aakar Patel, chair of Amnesty's India's Board, said the tax raid at the BBC offices were "a blatant affront to freedom of expression".

"The Indian authorities are clearly trying to harass and intimidate the BBC over its critical coverage of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party," Patel said.

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director for the Human Rights Watch told This Week in Asia such moves by Indian authorities may have the effect of undermining "international trust in Indian democracy and rule of law".

"Partisan government action is denting India's image as a functioning democracy that accommodates diverse views and identities,' she said.

The BBC documentary focused on Modi's tenure as chief minister of Gujarat where violence erupted in 2002 after a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, killing 59 people.

The incident set off one of the worst outbreaks of religious bloodshed in post-independence India in which at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in reprisal attacks across Gujarat.

The report cites a British diplomatic investigation that concludes Modi was "directly responsible" for the "climate of impunity" that brought forth the violence.

India's Foreign Ministry condemned the documentary after its release, calling it a "propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative" that lacks objectivity and propagates "a continuing colonial mindset".

In the days following the ban, Indian authorities scrambled to halt screenings of the film in university campuses across the country. Some university students were detained as they gathered to watch the film.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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