A source told Reuters on Thursday that India’s financial crime-fighting agency has begun an investigation into the BBC’s alleged violations of foreign currency laws, months after tax inspectors investigated the broadcaster’s Mumbai and Delhi offices.
The tax raids in February followed the airing of a BBC documentary questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership of Gujarat during the 2002 riots. At least 1,000 individuals were killed in the riots, the vast majority of whom were Muslims.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting the newest inquiry under India’s Foreign Exchange Management Act. According to the source, who declined to be identified due to the delicacy of the situation, the agency issued a notice to the BBC in March and questioned certain staff early this month.
A representative for the ED did not immediately reply to phone calls and text messages seeking comment. The BBC did not respond promptly to an email requesting comment.
The Foreign Exchange Management Act of 1999 is a civil statute, and the ED investigates potential violations of it in order to “adjudicate and impose penalties” on individuals found guilty, according to its website.
During a March visit to New Delhi, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly discussed the BBC tax searches with his Indian counterpart.
Protests outside the Indian High Commission in London last month strained relations between India and Britain, who are seeking to finalize a delayed free-trade pact.
Following a “breach of security” at the High Commission, India asked Britain on Wednesday for tighter monitoring of UK-based supporters of a Sikh separatist organization. This week, the British government stated that it was working to “review security and make changes to ensure the safety of its employees.”
