The BBC’s offices in India have been searched as part of an investigation by income tax authorities.
The searches in New Delhi and Mumbai came after the broadcaster aired a documentary critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the UK.
The BBC said it was “co-operating fully” with the authorities.
“We hope this situation will be resolved as soon as possible,” a brief statement added.
Although the documentary was only televised in the UK, the Indian government has tried to block people sharing India: Modi Questions online, calling it “anti-propaganda and anti-colonialism” with a “colonial mindset”. Anti-India rubbish”.
Last month, police detained students in Delhi as they gathered to watch a film.
The documentary focused on the prime minister’s role in anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002, when he was the state’s chief minister.
KC Venugopal, general secretary of the opposition Congress party, said Tuesday’s search “expresses frustration and shows that the Modi government is afraid of criticism”.
“We condemn these intimidation tactics in the strongest possible terms. This undemocratic and authoritarian behavior can no longer go on,” he tweeted.
But Gaurav Bhatia, a spokesman for Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), called the BBC “the most corrupt organization in the world”.
“India is a country that gives every organization a chance,” he said, “as long as you don’t boil poison.”
He added that the searches were legal and the timing had nothing to do with the government.
The Editors Guild of India – a non-profit group that promotes press freedom – said it was “deeply concerned” about the searches.
It said it was “a continuation of the trend of using government agencies to intimidate and harass press organizations that criticize government policies or the ruling establishment”.
Amnesty International India’s board accused the authorities of “attempting to harass and intimidate the BBC over its critical coverage of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party”.
It said that “the broad powers of the Income Tax Department are repeatedly being weaponized to silence dissent”.
The documentary draws on a previously unpublished report obtained by the BBC from Britain’s Foreign Office, which questions Mr Modi’s actions during the 2002 riots.
The riots started the day a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire, killing dozens. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the ensuing violence.
The Foreign Office report claimed that Mr Modi was “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that fueled the violence.
In 2005, the United States denied Mr. Modi a visa under a law barring the entry of foreign officials deemed responsible for “serious violations of religious freedom.”
Mr Modi has long denied the allegations against him, and has not apologized for the riots. In 2013, a Supreme Court panel also said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.
The BBC said last month that the Indian government had been offered the right to respond to the documentary but had declined.
The broadcaster said the film was “rigorously researched” and “a wide range of voices, witnesses and experts were approached, and we presented a range of views, including reactions from people in the BJP”.
