BBC: The foundation’s offices were raided after it broadcast a film about Modi’s role in acts of violence against Muslims

Although the documentary was only broadcast to audiences in the UK, the Indian government tried to ban people from the film, titled “India: The Modi Question”, calling it “anti-India propaganda and rubbish” with a “colonial mentality”.

Last month, the Delhi police arrested a number of students during a gathering to watch the film.

The documentary focuses on the role of the chief minister in the violence against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, when he was the chief minister of the state.

The general secretary of the opposition Congress party, KC Venugopal, said the inspections “smell of desperation and show that the Modi government is afraid of criticism”.

“We condemn these intimidation tactics in the strongest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial behavior cannot continue,” he wrote on Twitter.

But Gaurav Bhatia, a spokesman for Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, called the BBC “the most corrupt organization in the world”.

“India is a country that gives a chance to any organization, as long as it does not spread poison,” he said.

He added that the inspections were legitimate and the timing had nothing to do with the government.

The Editors’ Guild of India – a non-profit group promoting press freedom – said it was “extremely concerned” about the inspections.

It said that there is a “continuous trend to use government agencies to intimidate and harass journalistic organizations that criticize the policies of the government or the ruling establishment.”

The Indian Council of Amnesty International accused the authorities of “attempting to harass and intimidate the BBC over its critical coverage of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party”.

“The Income Tax Department’s broad powers are frequently used as a weapon to silence dissent,” he said.

The documentary highlights an unpublished report, obtained by the BBC from the British Foreign Office, that raises questions about Modi’s actions during the 2002 riots.

The aforementioned riots began the day after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire, killing dozens. More than a thousand people, most of them Muslims, were killed in the violence that followed the fire.

The Foreign Office report says Modi is “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that allowed the violence.

The US denied Mr Modi a visa in 2005, under a law barring entry to foreign officials deemed responsible for “gross violations of religious freedom”.

Modi rejects the accusations and has not apologized for the riots. Also, a committee of the Supreme Court of India decided in 2013 that there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.

The BBC said last month that it had offered the Indian government the right to respond to the documentary, but it refused.

She added that the film was “rigorously researched” and involved “contacting a wide range of voices, witnesses and experts, and featuring a range of opinions, including responses from people in the BJP”.

Targeting organizations deemed critical of the government is common in India. In 2020, Amnesty International was forced to halt its operations in the country, after the group accused the government of persecuting human rights organizations.

The search also affected the offices of Oxfam last year, along with other local non-governmental organizations.

The Editors’ Guild of India said the tax authorities raided four more media outlets in 2021, after reporting unfavorable to the government.

According to Reporters Without Borders, press freedom has declined since Modi came to power in India.

India ranks 150th in the World Press Freedom Index, issued by Reporters Without Borders, covering 180 countries. India’s ranking has fallen 10 places since 2014.