In reports on the tax survey on the BBC offices in India, global media outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, Le Monde and Guardian noted that this comes after the blocking of the controversial BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a note shared with the media, the Indian government had suggested that the survey is linked to alleged violation of transfer pricing rules and diversion of profit. However, international media reports seemed to focus on the documentary ban, the 2002 Gujarat riots, the new "evidence" in the BBC film, the crackdown on dissent in India, and an alleged build-up before the tax survey on BBC. They also pointed out that media outlets, international rights groups and foreign charities have often found themselves subjected to scrutiny by India's tax authorities and financial crimes investigators under the Modi government.
