We are fully cooperating: BBC responds after IT Department's survey operation

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) press team said on Monday that officials from the Income Tax Department were in its offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and clarified that they are fully cooperating with the probe. "The Income Tax Authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible," BBC tweeted.

The response from the BBC came hours after a team from the Income Tax department raided the BBC offices as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion. Interestingly, the I-T operations come weeks after the British broadcaster released a two-part documentary — India: The Modi Question — on the 2002 post-Godhra riots, which delves into the role of the Gujarat government under then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

The raid was initiated by the Director General of the Income Tax Department in Mumbai across three offices and New Delhi. According to officials, BBC staff have been asked to leave their phones in a specific location inside the premises. The investigation relates to the international tax problems of the BBC's subsidiaries.

Soon after the IT department started its operations at the BBC offices, Congress attacked the government. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also used a Hindi idiom to attack the government, saying "Vinash Kale, Vipreet Buddhi" (When doom approaches, a person's intellect works against his interests). Meanwhile, reacting to the Congress' allegations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the Congress should remember that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had also banned the BBC.