Indian tax officials have searched BBC news bureaus in the country’s two largest cities, weeks after the broadcaster aired reports critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions during deadly religious riots in Gujarat when he was the state’s top ruling official.
“The income tax authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully co-operating,” the British broadcaster said in a brief statement on Tuesday. “We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible.”
The BBC’s World Service reported that in New Delhi officials said they had a warrant for the search, and that some employees’ phones had been taken. Calls to some of its reporters on Tuesday afternoon went unanswered.