London:The UK government is closely monitoring the situation as the BBC said some of its staff have been asked to remain at their Delhi and Mumbai offices to cooperate with the ongoing enquiries of the Income Tax (I-T) authorities on Tuesday.
While there has been no official statement related to the action, British government sources said they are closely monitoring reports of tax surveys conducted at the offices of the BBC in India.
Meanwhile, the United States responded that it cannot offer any judgement on the survey at present but added that it values press freedom.
In New Delhi and Mumbai, officials said the surveys were being carried out to investigate issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies, and alleged that the broadcaster was served with notices in the past, but was "defiant and non-compliant" and had significantly diverted its profits.
The action comes weeks after the UK-headquartered public broadcaster aired a controversial two-part documentary in the UK, India: The Modi Question', referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
There was shock as the news of the action unfolded in the UK early on Tuesday morning and a broad consensus has been that the action was linked to the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Modi aired in the UK last month.
Everyone's shocked and no one is fooled that today's tax survey, as it's being called, is a retaliation to the recent BBC documentary India: The Modi Question', said Dr Mukulika Banerjee, a leading author and academic at the London School of Economics (LSE).
The BBC is an independent public broadcaster so if it puts out a documentary, it is not acting at the behest of the British government. In fact, BBC journalists routinely grill the British PM and all elected officials holding them accountable for their actions. The word independent' means just that, she said.
The South Asia Solidarity Group, a human rights organisation based in the UK, dubbed it a blatantly vindictive move.
Meanwhile, there were others such as the Global Hindu Federation which expressed support for the action.
Last month, the Indian government had branded the two-part series on Prime Minister Modi a propaganda piece, designed to push a particular discredited narrative.
The bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset is blatantly visible, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said at the time it was aired in the UK last month.
The documentary also triggered coordinated Indian diaspora protests at BBC offices across different UK cities at the end of last month.
The UK government responded in the House of Commons to the protests by insisting the BBC as a media organisation was independent in its outlet and reiterating its commitment to enhance ties with India.
We recognise how this portrayal of the Indian government has played out in India. I made it clear that the BBC is independent in its output, that the UK regards India as an incredibly important international partner and that we will be investing heavily in that relationship in the coming decades, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said earlier this month.
His remarks were later echoed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's official spokesperson in Downing Street: The BBC is independent in its output and we would stress that we continue to regard India as an incredibly important international partner.
We will be investing heavily in our relationship with India over the coming decades and we're confident it will only go from strength to strength.
Aware of BBC raid, cannot offer any judgement: US
Washington: The United States on Tuesday said it is aware of the survey operation conducted by the Indian tax authorities at the BBC office in Delhi but is not in a position to offer its judgement.
"We are aware of the search of the BBC offices in Delhi by Indian tax authorities. I would need to refer you to Indian authorities for the details of this search. Beyond this discrete action, what I'll say more broadly is the general point that I've consistently made in this context, but in a universal context as well," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters here.
"We support the importance of free press around the world. We continue to highlight the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief as human rights that contribute to strengthening democracies around the world. It has strengthened this democracy here in this country. It has strengthened India's democracy," Price said.
These universal rights are the bedrock of democracies around the world, he asserted.
When asked if this action went against some of the spirit or value of democracy, Price said, "I couldn't say. We're aware of the facts of these searches, but I'm just not in a position to offer a judgement."
