Income tax officials raid multiple locations related to leading media house

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 22

Income Tax department officials have been conducting searches at multiple locations across the country of leading media house Dainik Bhaskar group, including its headquarters in Bhopal, Raipur, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Delhi, as well as Uttar Pradesh-based TV channel Bharat Samachar for alleged tax evasion.

Sources in the I-T department, while confirming about the raids, said search operations are under way at Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Jaipur in Rajasthan and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Delhi and a few locations in Maharashtra.

दैनिक भास्कर और भारत समाचार पर आयकर छापे मीडिया को डराने का प्रयास है। उनका संदेश साफ़ है- जो भाजपा सरकार के ख़िलाफ़ बोलेगा, उसे बख्शेंगे नहीं।ऐसी सोच बेहद ख़तरनाक है।सभी को इसके ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ उठानी चाहिए

ये छापे तुरंत बंद किए जायें और मीडिया को स्वतंत्र रूप से काम करने दिया जाए

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 22, 2021

I-T sleuths are searching the business premises as well as residential premises of the promoters of the Bhaskar Group in Madhya Pradesh, sources said, adding that raids are being carried out following a tip-off about tax evasions by the media company.

पत्रकारिता पर मोदीशाह का प्रहार!! मोदीशाह का एक मात्र हथियार IT ED CBI!
मुझे विश्वास है अग्रवाल बंधु डरेंगे नहीं।

दैनिक भास्कर के विभिन्न ठिकानों पर इनकम टैक्स इन्वेस्टिगेशन विंग की छापामार कार्रवाई शुरू…

प्रेस कॉन्प्लेक्स सहित आधा दर्जन स्थानों पर मौजूद है इनकम टैक्स की टीम

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) July 22, 2021

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.

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 22, 2021

Dainik Bhaskar group is one of the largest media groups in the country with more than 60 editions operating in a dozen states in multiple languages.

मोदी सरकार में प्रजातंत्र के चौथे स्तंभ को दबाने का, सच को रोकने का काम शुरू से ही किया जा रहा है, अभी पेगासस जासूसी मामले में भी कई मीडिया संस्थान व उससे जुड़े लोग बड़ी संख्या में निशाने पर रहे है और अब सरकार की निरंतर पोल खोल रहे,

— Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) July 22, 2021

Dainik Bhaskar had put out a series of reports that took a critical view of the official claims during the pandemic, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where dead bodies were seen on the banks of the Ganges and also seen floating in the river.

Meanwhile, sources said the premises of Uttar Pradesh-based TV channel Bharat Samachar and its promoters and staffers were raided in Lucknow.

Bharat Samachar TV channel has also been critical of the Covid-19 management in the country. The channel said on its official Twitter handle that searches are being conducted at the “house of its Editor-in-chief Brajesh Mishra, state head Virendra Singh, houses of some employees and the channel office”. With PTI