After 60 hours survey came to an end , caught in between raid and survey the plight of Income tax officials inside BBC office become pathetic according to the insiders .
In the past five years From 2017-18 to 2021-22, the income tax department has launched prosecution in 1,956 “search and seizure” cases across the country.
Whereas only 29 of them or 1.48 percent have resulted in conviction, shows the Union Finance Ministry’s reply in the Rajya Sabha.
If the last four years are considered, the conviction rate further drops to an unflattering 0.42 percent.
Whereas Pendency has increased from 674 in 2017-18 to 1,908 in 2021-22.
According to the ministry’s reply, 3,787 “groups” have been “searched” by the income tax department” and assets worth Rs 1,159 crore seized.
At 984, the highest number of groups were searched in 2019-20, followed by 966 in the previous year. In 2021-22, as many as 686 groups were searched.
The BBC leadership remained in office until officials wrapped up work on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Income tax team stayed overnight on the first two days and slept on mattresses brought from outside.
I-T officials also took a little break, stepping out of the office for a cup of tea and snacks on Wednesday afternoon, according to the inside sources .
BBC employees spotted a few officials relaxing and taking afternoon siesta on the sofa on Wednesday.
“The reason could be that they have not found anything incriminating against us,” chuckled the source and also often IT officials been found ordering food online for lunch and dinner.
Meanwhile, in two emails sent to its employees on Wednesday morning and night, BBC reiterated that it stands by them and lauded their “resilience and professionalism”.
The mail also said that only those who are critical to broadcasting operations can come to the office while the rest can work from home.
An internal message sent by BBC World Service also flagged “rumours” and “inaccuracies” in the media coverage of the survey.
“We are aware that there are a lot of rumours circulating in the media about what is going on and our teams are working to correct any inaccuracies,” read a mail sent on Wednesday night.
But conspiracy theories spread by ruling party 24×7 praise TV channels NDTV , Republic , TimesNow and others have flown thick and fast, including a claim by certain pro-government channels that BBC was an agent of the Chinese Communist Party.
On the first day of the survey, a video was widely circulated on social media showing an official confronting BBC staff for not letting them enter the office.
“We thought they were protesters against the BBC documentary. So nobody opened the doors. Amid this, one of our employees entered using his card, unwittingly giving access to the I-T team,” said the source.
Two dozen officials, accompanied by around 10 police officers, had reached the sixth floor using six elevators and a staircase.
The BBC in a press statement subsequently said that it was cooperating with tax authorities and hoped that the situation would resolve as soon as possible.
As 2024 elections are fast coming opposition voices are heard loud that means more raids or searches as dictated by their master voice
