When BBC reporters in Delhi discovered the broadcaster was about to release a documentary criticising Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they immediately braced for a backlash. “Why should the BBC do this?”, one employee reportedly asked. “We’ll face consequences.” The fears proved well-founded. Modi’s government moved quickly to block the documentary, which focused on the treatment of Muslims under his reign and warned of a slide into authoritarianism. Just weeks later, tax authorities raided the BBC’s Delhi offices, citing concerns about its accounting practices and compliance with foreign media ownership laws. A year on, the British broadcaster has taken the unprecedented step of restructuring its Indian operations, splitting off a separate production company from its news functions in an effort to conform with increasingly stringent regulations. For many observers, the overhaul has worrying implications for the BBC’s largest overseas news bureau. There are implications outside of the BBC outpost too. The crackdown is far from an isolated incident and is just the latest erosion of press freedom in an increasingly authoritarian state, say observers. India’s six-week-long elections begin on Friday, with Modi hoping to win a third term in power. If that comes to pass, many fear Modi’s war on...