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Tag: Dainik Bhaskar

  • Dainik Bhaskar, Bharat Samachar evaded tax on income of Rs 900 crore, hints IT department

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: In an oblique reference to its searches conducted at the offices of media houses Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar, the Income Tax Department has alleged tax evasion of Rs 900 crore was discovered during the raids on Thursday.

    In two separate statements issued on Saturday, although no names were mentioned, there were hints to suggest the IT department was mentioning searches in the office of Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar, which attracted huge criticism. These two media houses in their reporting were critical of the way the government had handled the second wave of Covid-19.  

    The first statement of the department spoke of the raids on a prominent business group, involved in businesses in various sectors, including media, power, textiles and real estate, with a group turnover of more than Rs 6,000 crore per annum. 

    “The group has more than 100 companies including the holding and subsidiary companies. During the search, it was found that they have been operating several companies in the names of their employees, which have been used for booking bogus expenses and routing of funds,” the statement said.

    “The quantum of income escapement using this modus operandi, detected so far, amounts to Rs 700 crore spread over a period of 6 years. However, the quantum may be more as the group has used multiple layers and investigations are being carried out to unravel the entire money trail,” the department said in the first statement that seemed centered on the raids on Dainik Bhaskar Group. 

    “The listed media company does barter deals for advertisement revenues, whereby immovable properties are received in lieu of actual payments. Shreds of evidence have been found indicating cash receipts in respect of the subsequent sale of such properties. This is under further examination,” the IT department added, without taking names. 

    ALSO READ | Income department raids multiple premises of media group Dainik Bhaskar

    It is to be mentioned here that DB Corp, a listed company, owns Dainik Bhaskar. 

    The tax department also said that it detected cyclical trading and transfer of funds among group companies engaged in unrelated businesses to the tune of Rs. 2,200 crore. 

    In a separate statement, it said that it conducted a search operation on July 22 on a group in Uttar Pradesh dealing in mining, hospitality, news media, liquor, and real estate.  

    Confirming the search in Lucknow, Basti, Varanasi, Jaunpur, and Kolkata, office, it claimed that “Cash of more than Rs 3 crore has been seized and 16 lockers have been placed under restraint.”  

    “Documents including incriminating digital evidence indicating nearly Rs 200 crore of unaccounted transactions have been seized,” the department said in a statement. 

    It has also accused the company of money laundering and tax evasion. 

    “Evidence found during searches establishes that the group has been earning huge outside-the-books income through mining, processing, and sales in liquor, flour business, real estate, etc. Unaccounted income emanating out of these transactions has been found exceeding Rs. 90 crore as per preliminary estimates.

    “This income has been brought back into the books through a network of shell companies and other bogus entities without paying any taxes, thereby creating a charade that the money has been accounted for,” the statement said.

  • Dainik Bhaskar, Bharat Samachar evaded tax to tune of Rs 900 crore, hints IT department

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: In an oblique reference to its searches conducted at the offices of media houses Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar, Income Tax Department has alleged tax evasion of Rs 900 crore was discovered during the search operation on Thursday. 

    In two separate statements issued on Saturday, although no names were mentioned, there were hints to suggest the IT department searches in the office of Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar, which attracted huge criticism. These two media houses in their reporting were critical of the way the government had handled the second wave of Covid-19.  

    “The quantum of income escapement using this modus operandi, detected so far, amounts to Rs 700 crore spread over a period of 6 years. However, the quantum may be more as the group has used multiple layers and investigations are being carried out to unravel the entire money trail,” the department said, in a first statement. 

    The statement mentioned searches at 20 residential and 12 business premises spread over 9 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bhopal, Indore, Noida, and Ahmedabad. 

    ALSO READ | Income department raids multiple premises of media group Dainik Bhaskar

    “The listed media company does barter deals for advertisement revenues, whereby immovable properties are received in lieu of actual payments. Shreds of evidence have been found indicating cash receipts in respect of the subsequent sale of such properties. This is under further examination,” the IT department said, without taking names. 

    It is to be mentioned here that DB Corp, a listed company, owns Dainik Bhaskar. 

    The tax department also said that it detected cyclical trading and transfer of funds among group companies engaged in unrelated businesses to the tune of Rs. 2,200 crore has been found. 

    In a separate statement, it said that it conducted a search operation on July 22 on a group in Uttar Pradesh dealing in Mining, Hospitality, News Media, Liquor, and Real Estate.  

    Confirming the search in Lucknow, Basti, Varanasi, Jaunpur, and Kolkata, office, it claimed that “Cash of more than Rs 3 crore has been seized and 16 lockers have been placed under restraint”.  

    “Documents including incriminating digital evidence indicating nearly Rs 200 crore of unaccounted transactions have been seized,” the department said in a statement. 

    It has also accused the company of money laundering and tax evasion. 

    “Evidence found during searches establishes that the group has been earning huge outside-the-books income through mining, processing, and sales in liquor, flour business, real estate, etc. Unaccounted income emanating out of these transactions has been found exceeding Rs. 90 crore as per preliminary estimates.

    “This income has been brought back into the books through a network of shell companies and other bogus entities without paying any taxes, thereby creating a charade that the money has been accounted for,” the statement said.

  • Concerned that govt agencies being used as coercive tool: Editors guild on IT raids on media houses

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Editors Guild of India on Friday said it is worried that government agencies are being used as a “coercive tool” to suppress free and independent journalism.

    Its remarks come after the Income Tax Department’s raids on Thursday across several states against prominent media group Dainik Bhaskar as well as Uttar Pradesh-based TV channel Bharat Samachar for alleged tax evasion.

    “The Editors Guild of India (EGI) is concerned about the income tax raids on July 22 at the offices of country’s leading newspaper group Dainik Bhaskar as well as a Lucknow-based independent news channel Bharat Samachar,” it said in a statement.

    “They come against the backdrop of in-depth reporting on the (COVID-19) pandemic by Dainik Bhaskar, which brought to the fore the gross mismanagement by government authorities and the immense loss of human lives,” the guild said.

    The Editors Guild of India is concerned about the Income Tax raids on July 22, at the offices of country’s leading newspaper group, Dainik Bhaskar, as well as a Lucknow based independent news channel, Bharat Samachar. pic.twitter.com/bkJM24TVfn
    — Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) July 23, 2021

    It claimed that in a webinar hosted by it recently, Dainik Bhaskar’s national editor Om Gaur had stated that their advertisements from government departments have been cut down after recent critical coverage of state authorities.

    “He had also written an Op-Ed in the New York Times, headlined ‘The Ganges is Returning the Dead. It Does Not Lie’,” the EGI noted.

    It said, “The EGI is therefore concerned that government agencies are being used as a coercive tool to suppress free and independent journalism. This is all the more disturbing given the recent media reports on the widespread surveillance of journalists and civil society activists using the Pegasus software.”

    On raids by the tax department on Bharat Samachar, the guild said that it is one of the few channels in Uttar Pradesh that has been asking difficult questions to the state government with respect to the pandemic’s management.

    ALSO READ | Tax raid on Dainik Bhaskar: Opposition hits out at Modi government; media group says readers’ will is supreme

    “Notwithstanding the merits of the case, the timing of these raids is concerning given the recent critical coverage by both the organisations,” the EGI said.

    In February, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted raids at the office of NewsClick.in, which had been at the forefront of reporting on the farmers agitation and the anti-CAA protests, it noted.

    The raids against Dainik Bhaskar, which has a presence in 12 states and runs newspapers as well as operates radio stations, web portals and mobile phone apps, started around 5:30 am on Thursday and were going on till late in the evening.

    They were taking place in 30 locations in different states.

    The premises of Bharat Samachar and its promoters and staffers were raided in Uttar Pradesh.

  • Tax raid on Dainik Bhaskar: Opposition hits out at Modi government; media group says readers’ will is supreme

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL/LUCKNOW: Tax sleuths knocked on the doors of Bhopal-headquartered Dainik Bhaskar group and Uttar Pradesh-based Bharat Samachar in the wee hours on Thursday, raiding their premises across various states for alleged tax evasion. 

    Multiple teams of the I-T department from Delhi and Mumbai conducted the searches under Section 132 of the Income Tax Act at business premises owned by the two media groups in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and UP, following specific inputs about tax evasion by these firms.

    The Bhaskar group, which runs around 65 daily newspaper editions in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati, had run a series of stories on the alleged cover-up of casualties in MP, Gujarat and UP as well as the vaccine wastage in Rajasthan. After the authorities denied reports of mass graves on the banks of Ganga, it sent an army of reporters to document the same. 

    The raids drew sharp criticism from Opposition leaders as both the media groups had done numerous stories and programmes highlighting the failure of authorities in managing the pandemic. “The attack on journalists and media houses is yet another BRUTAL attempt to stifle democracy,” tweeted West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. 

    “Their message is clear that whoever will speak against the BJP government… will not be spared,” said Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, adding that the searches are an “attempt to scare the media”. However, government sources said the group evaded huge amounts of tax by claiming bogus expenses and purchases using shell entities. 

    The media group said that it was “independent” and the readers’ will was supreme for it.

    “I am independent because I am Bhaskar. Only readers’ will prevails at Bhaskar,” a message in Hindi on the group’s digital news website under the headline “Swatantra Bhaskar” said.

    It claimed that the IT department teams also raided the houses of its employees, seized their mobile phones and did not allow them to leave.

    ALSO READ | Looked at only financial transactions of Dainik Bhaskar group, not editorial content: IT department

    Even night-shift staff were not allowed to leave the offices, it said.

    Income Tax officials said it was part of the procedure, and the staff were allowed to leave after legal formalities, it said.

    The group’s digital media team was allowed to go home at 12.30 pm on Thursday, it added.

    The group’s digital news site had put out reports, along with pictures, on dead bodies of suspected coronavirus patients floating down the river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar which had led to nationwide consternation.

    As the Income Tax raids unfolded, Dainik Bhaskar also ran a readers survey on social media, asking “Are you with the fearless journalism of Dainik Bhaskar? Answer 1 Yes, 2 No.”

    When contacted, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax for MP and Chhattisgarh Lekha Kumar said, “No comments, please.”

    Attempts to contact Parneet Sachdev, Director General of IT, Bihar and Jharkhand who has additional charge of MP and Chhattisgarh for comment failed.

    Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath said the tax raids on Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar media groups on charges of tax evasion were an attempt by the Union government to suppress the “fourth pillar of democracy” and prevent truth from coming out.

    Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said on Twitter that tax officials “are present” at half a dozen premises of the group, including at its office at Press Complex in state capital Bhopal where it is headquartered.

    ALSO READ | ‘Brutal attempt to stifle democracy’: Mamata Banerjee reacts to I-T raids at Dainik Bhaskar premises

    State CPM secretary Jaswinder Singh said the raids were not only an attack on the freedom of expression but a clear sign of a situation worse than the Emergency.

    The action came at a time when the government was in a tight spot in Parliament over the Pegasus snooping case and coronavirus deaths, he said.

    It also proved that the Narendra Modi government was trying to stifle the voice of democracy, the CPM leader said.

    Flaying the government, the Uttar Pradesh Congress in a tweet said, “Kamal’ wale, kalam se darte hain (People with lotus are afraid of the pen)”.

    The Congress termed the raids on both the media houses as an “attack on democracy”.

    The Samajwadi Party (SP) on its Twitter handle said when a “coward” government is “afraid”, it uses central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, IT Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against those opposing it.

    “With the ink of truth, the government’s corruption, mismanagement during the Covid pandemic, false claims and hollow announcements were exposed by Dainik Bhaskar. Countrywide raids on it are condemnable,” the party tweeted.

    Later, SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav in a tweet said, “It is clear from the raids on the media in UP that the BJP is affected by the possibility of its defeat in the 2022 elections. It shows the desperation of the losing BJP. This has proved that the truth that under the oppressive rule of the anti-people BJP those who shoe truth will which be crushed.”

    Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati in her tweet said, “Income Tax raids on Dainik Bhaskar Media Group and Bharat News Channel prima facie appeared to be an act of vindictiveness. It brings back the dark memories of the Congress Emergency of 1975. It is very sad and highly condemnable.”

    SP spokesperson Ashutosh Verma too said the raids were the result of the BJP’s “fear”.

    “It showed that the BJP is so afraid of its defeat in the 2022 state elections that it is targeting media houses for exposing its failure,” Verma said.

    “Institutions like the IT Department, CBI and the ED have been made a tool by the BJP to create fear among those opposing it,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Tax raids on Dainik Bhaskar attempt to scare media: Arvind Kejriwal 

    The leader further said his party’s fight is against politicisation of these institutions.

    Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday slammed the Income Tax raids at the offices of media houses, terming them as an attempt to suppress their voice.

    Civil rights group PUCL also condemned the raids on media house, saying it was an attempt to “threaten” and suppress media.

    Gehlot charged that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government cannot tolerate even the slightest criticism.

    “Income Tax raids on the offices of Dainik Bhaskar newspaper and Bharat Samachar news channel is an attempt to suppress the media.

    The Modi government cannot tolerate even the slightest criticism.

    This is the fascist mentality of the BJP, which does not like to see the mirror of truth in democracy,” he tweeted.

    The chief minister charged that by taking such action, the Modi government wants to send a message to media houses that if they are not in their favour then their voices will be crushed.

    People Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Rajasthan strongly condemns the nationwide raid of the Income Tax Department on Dainik Bhaskar newspaper, PUCL president Kavita Srivastava said in a statement.

    She alleged that the raids are a “clear message” from the central government and it is a “malicious attempt” to teach a lesson to journalists and editors and to “suppress and intimidate” all other print and electronic media.

    Srivastava said that the media organisation had raised various issues, including Pegasus snooping, Ram Janmabhoomi land controversy, oxygen scarcity during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Meanwhile, Union minister Anurag Thakur said the agencies are doing their work and there is no interference in it.

    He also asserted that “one should take complete information and in its absence sometimes many issues come up that are far from the truth.”

    The Information and Broadcasting Minister was responding to a question on the opposition Congress’ charge that the raids were intended to throttle the voice of democracy.

    “Agencies are doing their own work and there is no interference. One should take complete information and in its absence sometimes many issues come up that are far from the truth,” he told reporters at a cabinet briefing.

    There was no official word from the Income Tax Department or its policy-making body, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), on the raids.

    These raids triggered a widespread criticism, including from the opposition parties with Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala earlier accusing the government of attacking the freedom of the press and throttling the voice of democracy through these raids.

    “Raid-jeevi ji, Cowardly attack on the freedom of the Press! Income tax raids on Dainik Bhaskar’s Bhopal, Jaipur and Ahmedabad offices now.

    You cannot suppress the voice of democracy with “Raid Raj”,” he tweeted in Hindi using the hashtag “#RaidOnFreePress”.

    “How much more will you strangle the media? How much more pressure will the media accept? How long will the powers-that-be fetter the truth,” he also said in another tweet, questioning why the TV is still not debating the issue.

    “No pressures. Now the flood of truth will come,” Surjewala said.

    Another Congress leader Kapil Sibal tweeted, “Bhaskar Group published two days ago scathing piece on phone tapping and snooping and also referred to a past incident in Gujarat. IT raids in Ahmadabad , Bhopal etc. Aap chronology samajhiye.”

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Pegasus snooping row: Media bodies demand SC-monitored inquiry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Media bodies such as the Press Club of India and the Editors Guild of India on Thursday condemned the alleged snooping on journalists and others using a spyware while demanding a “Supreme Court-monitored inquiry” in the matter.

    Representatives of these media bodies also criticised the raids on media houses, including Dainik Bhaskar newspaper and Bharat Samachar channel, saying these are efforts to “crush dissent”.

    Representatives of the Press Club of India, the Editors Guild of India, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, the Press Association, the Delhi Union of Journalists, along with eminent media personalities, addressed a press conference and demanded that the government should launch a probe in the Pegasus spyware case and come clean on the issue.

    “We demand a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry into the acts of surveillance. Media organisations will explore constitutional options for the safeguard of democracy and freedom of press,” the Press Club of India said in a statement.

    “The use of the Pegasus spyware to snoop on Indian citizens and groups endangers India’s sovereignty and it is necessary that the government of India should intervene decisively and clarify how and why this was done,” it added.

    Addressing the gathering, Editors Guild of India general secretary Sanjay Kapoor said, “This spyware is destroying democracy and it will have to end. What they (Centre) did to Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat samachar is not going to work.”

    Senior journalist MK Venu said this was not the first time that the government launched an assault on the media.

    “The assault on the media has been constant, vicious and unceasing (under this government),” he said.

    On the Pegasus issue, Venu said it is being said that the spyware is only sold to governments and questioned why the prime minister and the home minister are shying away from announcing an inquiry.

    “Let people know who is doing it (snooping). If some other country is doing it, then it is a cyber attack on the country and India’s national security is at risk. We need answers. If there is no inquiry, then media houses should go to the court,” he said.

    Veteran journalist Mrinal Pandey condemned the raids on media houses.

    “Dainik Bhaskar showed some courage and tried to speak the truth on the Pegasus spyware case and the COVID-19 issue. We were sure that something should happen and today we got to know about the raids on its offices,” she said.

    Veteran journalist Prem Shankar Jha alleged that the purpose behind the Pegasus spyware case is to “crush dissent”.

    “They (government) want to deprive us of our right to dissent. Bhima-Koregaon is a perfect example. If democracy dies, India will not survive. The future of the country is at stake through such activities,” he said.

    Vinita Pandey of the IWPC said, “We condemn this snooping. We condemn the raids on media houses too. The government should launch an inquiry in the snooping matter.”

  • Looked at only financial transactions of Dainik Bhaskar group, not editorial content: IT department

    In keeping with the department #39;s protocol, it said, the investigation team quot;only looked into the financial transactions of the group related to tax evasion quot;.

  • Agencies doing their work, there is no interference: Anurag Thakur on tax raids on media houses

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: As the Income Tax Department carried out multi-city raids against two media organisations on Thursday, Union minister Anurag Thakur said the agencies are doing their work and there is no interference in it.

    The minister was responding to a question on the opposition Congress’ allegation that the raids were intended to throttle the voice of democracy.

    “Agencies are doing their own work and there is no interference in them,” he said.

    He also said that “one should take complete information and sometimes many issues come up that are far from truth…”

    The Income Tax Department on Thursday conducted raids against the media group Dainik Bhaskar and Uttar Pradesh-based Hindi news channel Bharat Samachar in multiple cities on charges of tax evasion, official sources said.

  • ‘Brutal attempt to stifle democracy’: Mamata Banerjee reacts to I-T raids at Dainik Bhaskar premises

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday took umbrage at the Income Tax raids agaist media group Dainik Bhaskar for alleged tax evasion, terming the act as a “brutal attempt” to stifle democracy and suppress voices that bring out the truth.

    Banerjee said the raids were the fallout of reporting about the “mishandling” of the COVID-19 situation in the country.

    “The attack on journalists and 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,” she tweeted.

    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)
    — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 22, 2021

    “I strongly condemn this vindictive act that aims to suppress voices that bring out the TRUTH. It’s a grave violation that undermines the very principles of democracy. Urging everyone in the Media to stay strong. Together we shall never let the autocratic forces succeed!” the Trinamool Congress supremo added.

    The Income Tax Department on Thursday also conducted raids against Uttar Pradesh-based Hindi news channel Bharat Samachar on charges of tax evasion, official sources said.

    The searches in case of Dainik Bhaskar, which brings out newspaper editions in Hindi and Gujarati, are being conducted in Bhopal, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Noida and some other locations in the country.

    ALSO READ | Tax raids on Dainik Bhaskar attempt to scare media: Arvind Kejriwal

  • Modi govt can’t tolerate even slightest criticism: Ashok Gehlot on Dainik Bhaskar raids

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday slammed the Income Tax raids at the offices of media houses, terming them as an attempt to suppress their voice.

    The Income Tax Department on Thursday conducted raids against two prominent media groups, Dainik Bhaskar and Uttar Pradesh-based Hindi news channel Bharat Samachar, in multiple cities on charges of tax evasion, official sources said.

    FULL STORY | Income department raids multiple premises of media group Dainik Bhaskar

    Gehlot charged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government cannot tolerate even the slightest criticism.

    “Income tax raid on the offices of Dainik Bhaskar newspaper and Bharat Samachar news channel is an attempt to suppress the media.

    Modi government cannot tolerate even the slightest criticism.

    This is the fascist mentality of BJP which does not like to see the mirror of truth in democracy,” Gehlot said in a tweet.

    He charged that by taking such action, the Modi government wants to send a message to media houses that if they are not in their favour then their voice will be crushed.

  • Income department raids multiple premises of media group Dainik Bhaskar

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Extensive searches have begun at multiple premises of the country’s prominent media house, the Dainik Bhaskar Group at multiple locations in at least four states.

    Big breaking: Income Tax Dept raids underway at multiple locations of a major media house across the country, including its main base in Bhopal. @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard @khogensingh1 @gsvasu_TNIE
    — Anuraag Singh (@anuraag_niebpl) July 22, 2021

    The searches which started at residential premises and offices of the premier media group are happening in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

    According to informed sources, the searches are underway in MP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi-NCR. @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard @khogensingh1 @gsvasu_TNIE

    According to informed sources, the raids are underway at multiple locations in Bhopal and Indore (MP), including residential premises of the owners/promoters of the Group in Bhopal, besides its main offices and press in the Press Complexes of Bhopal and Indore.

    — Anuraag Singh (@anuraag_niebpl) July 22, 2021

    Searches are also underway at group’s premises in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai among other locations.Sources added that the searches are happening based on specific inputs of tax evasion by the media group, which not only has around 60 editions of its flagship Dainik Bhaskar newspaper brand across multiple states of Central, West, East and Northern India, but also has major investments in power, real estate and education sector.