New Delhi
\nIndia\u2019s financial crime-fighting agency has opened an investigation into alleged violations of foreign exchange rules by the BBC, a source told Reuters on Thursday, months after tax officials searched the broadcaster\u2019s Mumbai and Delhi offices.
\nThe tax raids in February had come close on the heels of the release of a BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s leadership of the state of Gujarat during riots in 2002. At least 1,000 people were killed in the riots, most of them Muslims.
\nThe latest investigation is being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under India\u2019s Foreign Exchange Management Act. The agency issued a notice to the BBC in March and questioned some employees earlier this month, said the source, who declined to be named citing the sensitivity of the matter.
\nAn ED spokesperson did not immediately respond to calls and a text message seeking comment. The BBC did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
\nThe Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, is a civil law and the ED conducts investigations into suspected contraventions of it to \u201cadjudicate and impose penalties\u201d on those found guilty, it says on its website.
\nBritish Foreign Minister James Cleverly, during a visit to New Delhi in March, raised the BBC tax searches with his Indian counterpart.
\nRelations between India and Britain, who are working to seal a delayed free-trade agreement, have also been strained by protests outside the Indian High Commission in London last month.
\nIndia on Wednesday asked Britain for increased monitoring of UK-based supporters of a Sikh separatist movement following a \u201cbreach of security\u201d at the High Commission. The British government said this week they were working to \u201creview security and make changes to ensure the safety of its staff\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi India\u2019s financial crime-fighting agency has opened an investigation into alleged violations of foreign exchange rules by the BBC, a source told Reuters on Thursday, months after tax officials searched the broadcaster\u2019s Mumbai and Delhi offices. The tax raids in February had come close on the heels of the release of a BBC documentary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-325753","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n