India’s tax raids are an assault on the country’s free press

Media watchdogs and rights groups have been drawing attention to the decrease in media freedom in India for years, writes Stuti Mishra

An armed security guard patrols the entrance to a building housing the BBC office in New Delhi, India (AP)

The “survey” at the BBC offices by Indian tax authorities earlier this week may have been the first targeting of a foreign media organisation, but for many journalists working in India, including myself, it was just another unsettling reminder of the shrinking space for media in the country.

For three days, BBC employees in Delhi and Mumbai were subjected to questioning by income tax authorities, with multiple reports stating that their phones had been seized as tax officials went through the corporation’s financial records.

The authorities say they have uncovered irregularities in the BBC’s accounts, with the matter now subject to further investigation as the BBC said it would “continue to cooperate”.