International Desk: Tim Davey, Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation, said in an e-mail to the BBC’s Indian journalists that the organization will continue to report news without fear or favor.The email came on Thursday night (February 23) after the Income Tax Department searched the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai.
The BBC said they are fully cooperating with the Income Tax Department in the investigation. Thanking the BBC staff in India for their courage, Tim Davey said that nothing could be more important than reporting the news impartially.
In 2002, the BBC aired a documentary on the role of then-Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Gujarat riots. The BBC did not broadcast that documentary in India. It was broadcast to UK viewers only.
The Indian government called the documentary “hostile propaganda” and took measures to prevent it from being shown in the country. Many people were uploading and sharing the documentary on social media.
Tim Davey said, “The BBC will ensure that journalists can do their jobs fairly and safely.” Nothing is more important to us than fear-free, unbiased reporting. Our job is to deliver the truth independently and impartially to our audience worldwide. Our aim is to present it to the audience in the most creative way possible. “We will never deviate from this duty.”
In that email, he also wrote, “I want to clarify one thing.” The BBC has no agenda. We work with a purpose. The first objective is to provide unbiased news and information so that people can better analyze the world around them.
India’s income tax department searched two BBC offices for three days in what they described as a “survey.” The Income Tax Department also said that they have found several discrepancies related to income tax in that “survey.” According to the BBC, they will give appropriate answers to all the questions that will be asked directly by the Income Tax Department.
Opposition MPs in the UK Parliament have expressed concern over the income tax attack. Although the UK Foreign Office did not comment on the Indian Income Tax Department’s allegations, it said it was monitoring the incident and fully supported the BBC’s independent journalism.
