Highlights:

• Income Tax raid faced by Anurag Kashyap and Taapsee Pannu
• Income Tax Department raids around 20 locations in Mumbai and Pune
• Both Taapsee Pannu and Anurag Kashyap have often spoken out on various national issues

As per sources and media articles, the Income Tax officials carried out searches, on Wednesday, at properties linked to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actress Taapsee Pannu in Mumbai over alleged tax evasion.

The searches by IT officials took place at around 20 locations spread across Mumbai and Pune, including premises that were linked to a talent agency as well as Phantom Films, which was co-promoted by Anurag Kashyap and producers Vikas Bahl and Madhu Mantena.

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Prakash Javadekar, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, said “The Income Tax department probes someone based on whatever information they get. The issue goes to court later,” during a BJP briefing.

Both Anurag Kashyap and Taapsee Pannu are outspoken critics of the in-power BJP Government in the centre and have lent their voice to various causes, latest was ongoing farmer protests against 3 central farm laws which is still going on.

Recently, Taapsee Pannu had criticised the show of solidarity by the Bollywood celebrities towards the government in response to pop star Rihanna’s post drawing attention to the farmers’ agitation. The actor took a jibe at the pushback and said it was better to focus on strengthening one’s own value system if one tweet rattled one’s belief.

Last month, Taapsee Pannu, via social media, said, “If one tweet rattles your unity, one joke rattles your faith or one show rattles your religious belief, then it’s you who has to work on strengthening your value system not become propaganda teachers for others”.

Many ministers from Maharashtra slammed the searches conducted by the Income Tax Department on Anurag Kashyap and Taapsee Pannu, saying the raids are because they are outspoken celebrities.

Nawab Malik, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister, said, “The way in which raids were conducted in the homes and offices of Anurag Kashyap and Tapasee Pannu, this is definitely the usage of 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”.

Gangs of Wasseypur fame Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had been vocal in condemning the violence against anti-Citizenship Act protesters back in 2019.

Also, last year, he had expressed support for actress Rhea Chakraborty in the Sushant Singh Rajput Death case and even went ahead to slam Bollywood actors for not speaking up enough on the case.

Phantom Films was dissolved in 2018 following Vikas Bahl being named in an incident of alleged sexual misconduct.

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