Description
The British government has vigorously defended the BBC and its editorial freedom. The BBC will fully cooperate with the Indian authorities, the UK-based media organization said on Thursday in response to reports from India about a new investigation launched by the Law Enforcement Directorate (ED) into allegations of currency offences. by the United Kingdom. public broadcaster. A spokesman for the taxpayer-funded British media company told PTI that the BBC will meet its obligations to operate in India.
The statement came in response to a question about reports that the ED requested documents and statements from certain corporate officials under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
"We will continue to cooperate fully with the Indian authorities to ensure that we meet all our obligations," a BBC spokesman said.
According to official sources in Delhi, ED's investigation would look into alleged foreign direct investment (FDI) violations by the company in India.
Follow the so-called investigative operations of the Department of Income Tax (IT) at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai for three days in February.
In its after-action statement, the Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT) said it had found inconsistencies and that the revenue and profits reported by the organization's units were "not commensurate with the scale of operations in India."
After the action, the UK government vigorously defended the BBC and its editorial freedom in Parliament saying: "We defend the BBC. We fund the BBC. We believe the BBC World Service is vital."
Opposition parties have raised a pressing issue in the House of Commons, some calling the move a "deliberate act of intimidation following the release of an unflattering documentary about the country's leader and strongly criticizing the government of the United Kingdom for not issuing a statement on the matter sooner.
In January, the BBC aired a controversial two-part documentary, "India: The Modi Question", in the UK.
