Congress slams govt for IT raids on media houses; calls it a blot on Indian democracy

Hours after the Income Tax Department conducted searches at the premises of the Dainik Bhaskar Group, the Opposition hit out at the government, calling it a “brazen attempt” to “scare the media” and “suppress the voice of truth”

Addressing a press conference, senior leader Abhishek Singhvi said, "The IT raid on Dainik Bhaskar highlights the dangerous, dismissive, and draconian nature of the BJP government."

He said that the newspaper was raided as its reportage exposed the grisly sight of bodies of Covid victims floating in the Ganga and washing up on the banks in towns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said: “Through its reporting, Dainik Bhaskar has exposed the Modi regime’s monumental mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is now paying the price. An Undeclared Emergency as Arun Shourie has said — this is a Modified Emergency.”

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, in Twitter posts, described the I-T searches as an “attack on journalists and media houses” and “another brutal attempt to stifle democracy”.

The Income Tax Department has conducted searches at the offices of media entity Dainik Bhaskar at several locations across the country over alleged tax evasion.

According to people in the know, raids have been conducted at the Bhopal, Indore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad premises of the Dainik Bhaskar group.

The Income Tax Department is conducted raid at the offices of Bharat Samachar News channel also and the residences of its promoters and Editor-in-Chief.