On Tuesday, the UK government defended the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) editorial freedom during a Parliament debate, and criticized the recent "survey" of BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai by Income Tax officials in India. Tory MP David Rutley said the UK is proud of its press freedoms and has a "broad and deep relationship" with India.
Rutley stressed on BBC's editorial freedom
Rutley also emphasized the importance of the BBC's editorial freedom, stating that "we stand up for the BBC, we fund the BBC, we think the BBC World Service is vitally important. We want the BBC to have that editorial freedom," noting that the broadcaster criticizes both the Conservative and Labour parties.
Jim Shannon, of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), opened the debate by saying that the "raid" was "a deliberate act of intimidation following the release of an unflattering documentary about the country’s leader".
Labour MP Fabian Hamilton said it was worrying that BBC staff had been forced to stay in their offices overnight and faced lengthy questioning. "In any democracy, the media must have the ability to criticise and scrutinise political leaders without fear of repercussions, and that clearly applies in this situation,” he added.
Britain's Sikh MP reacts to the BBC raids
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Britain's first turbaned Sikh MP, raised questions on the Income-Tax survey during a question hour session. Dhesi stated that the UK is "very proud of our press freedoms and indeed are accustomed to the BBC and other reputable media outlets for holding to account in a devastating manner the UK government, its prime minister and opposition parties."
He added, "That's why many of us were so concerned that in India, a nation with which we have shared values of democracy and press freedoms, they decided to conduct raids on BBC offices after their airing of a documentary which was critical of the Indian prime minister's actions."
The Income-Tax survey was related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies. The survey lasted nearly 59 hours and involved scanning mobile phones and laptops of employees. After the survey ended, the BBC stated it would continue to report without fear or favour.
The tax authorities have alleged various tax-linked irregularities against the London-headquartered company and accused it of using "dilatory tactics" during the survey. The Income-Tax department also said the income and profits shown by various BBC group entities are "not commensurate" with the scale of their operations in India, and tax has not been paid on certain remittances by its foreign entities.
