India tax officials search BBC offices weeks after Modi doc

Officials from India’s Income Tax department began conducting searches Tuesday at the BBC’s offices in the capital, New Delhi, three of the broadcaster’s staff members told the Associated Press. The search comes weeks after the British broadcaster released a controversial documentary that examined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role during 2002 anti-Muslim riots. The employees asked not to be identified because they were not allowed to speak publicly. The Press Trust of India news agency reported that teams from the tax department were searching the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai offices. India banned the two-part documentary last month. Authorities had halted screenings of “India: The Modi Question” in a move that critics and political opponents called an assault on press freedom.