"Agencies Do Their Job, No Interference": Government On Media Tax Raids

Some 100 taxmen searched around 30 locations of Dainik Bhaskar in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Media group Dainik Bhaskar and an Uttar Pradesh-based news channel were raided by Income Tax teams in multiple cities this morning over allegations of tax evasion. As the raids on media outlets critical to the government spurred opposition attacks and condemnation on social media, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur detached the government from the crackdown. The attack on journalists & media houses is yet another BRUTAL attempt to stifle democracy.#DainikBhaskar bravely reported the way @narendramodi ji mishandled the entire #COVID crisis and led the country to its most horrifying days amid a raging pandemic. (1/2) Income Tax raid on Dainik Bhaskar newspaper & Bharat Samachar news channel is a brazen attempt to suppress the voice of media. Modi government cannot tolerate even an iota of its criticism. Due to its fascist mentality, the BJP doesn't want to see the truth in a democratic setup. "Agencies do their own work, we don't interfere in their functioning. I would also like to say that facts need to be found before reporting about any incident. Sometimes lack of information is misleading," Anurag Thakur told reporters at a cabinet briefing. Some 100 taxmen searched around 30 locations of Dainik Bhaskar in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The homes and offices of the group's promoters were also raided. A senior editor of Dainik Bhaskar told NDTV that raids were on at the group's Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Indore offices.