'Attempt to scare media': Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee condemns I-T raids on Dainik Bhaskar, UP channel

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday condemned the raids conducted by the income tax department on the Dainik Bhaskar group and a Hindi news channel based in Uttar Pradesh. The raids were carried out in multiple cities in suspected tax evasion case. Kejriwal said these raids are an attempt to scare the media.

Arvind Kejriwal condemns I-T raids

"Income tax raids conducted on Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar are an attempt to scare the media. Their message is clear- those who speak against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not be spared. This kind of thinking is very dangerous. Everyone should raise their voice against it," Kejriwal said in his tweet posted in Hindi.

The Delhi chief minister also urged the raids should stop immediately and the media should be allowed to function freely

The Income Tax department on Thursday conducted searches at offices of the Dainik Bhaskar Group in multiple locations including Maharashtra,Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Similar searches were conducted by the department at the premises of the UP-based Hindi news channel.

Apart from Arvind Kejriwal, other prominent opposition leaders have also targeted the Narendra Modi-led central government over the raids on these two media houses.

Rajasthan chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said the raids are an attempt to suppress the media, adding the 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 tweeted.

CM Mamata Banerjee:

"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," Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on the microblogging site and urged those working in the media to stay strong.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders in Parliament also tried to raise the issue of income tax raids on the Dainik Bhaskar group.

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