Income Tax officials today raided properties linked to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actor Taapsee Pannu in Mumbai over alleged tax evasion. Both are being questioned by income tax officials in Pune. Searches took place at 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune. Phantom Films, which was founded by Anurag Kashyap, producers Vikas Bahl and Madhu Mantena. Exceed Entertainment is a management company and has been managing Saif Ali Khan for several years. Their offices were raided as well. 

Executives of Kwan Talent Management, which manages actor Deepika Padukone, are being questioned.

Anurag Kashyap and Taapsee Pannu are outspoken critics of the government and have lent their voice to various causes, including the ongoing farmer protests against central laws. Recently, Ms Pannu had criticised the show of solidarity by celebrities towards the government in response to pop star Rihanna's post drawing attention to the farmers' agitation. Anurag Kashyap had been vocal about condemning the violence against anti-Citizenship Act protesters in 2019. Last year, he had expressed support for actor Rhea Chakraborty in the Sushant Singh Rajput case and had slammed Bollywood actors for not speaking up enough on the case.

Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said, “The way in which raids were conducted in the homes and offices of Anurag Kashyap and Taapsee Pannu, this is definitely the usage of the Enforcement Directorate or the Income Tax against those who take a stand against the government or its policies. Anurag Kashyap and Tapasee Pannu have raised their voice against the Modi government's policies. This action is an attempt to suppress their voices," 

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