‘I-T raids on Kashyap, Taapsee part of tax-evasion probe against Phantom Films’

The Income Tax Department on Wednesday raided premises linked to actor Taapsee Pannu filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and the promoters of his nowdissolved production house mdash Phantom Films Officials said the searches were part of a tax evasion probe against Phantom Films NCP leader Nawab Malik said the raids were an attempt to suppress the voices of those speaking against the Narendra Modiled governmentTaapsee Pannu File picsThe IT department searches were carried out across 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune also covered Reliance Entertainment group CEO Shibhasish Sarkar and some executives of celebrity and talent management company KWAN officers said The raids began in the morning and were continuing till late eveningThe action is part of a probe against Phantom Films which was dissolved in 2018 and its then promoters Kashyap directorproducer Vikramaditya Motwane producer Vikas Bahl and producerdistributor Madhu MantenaGathering more evidenceThe IT department sources said some interlinked transactions between the entities raided are under the scanner of the department The raids they added are aimed at gathering more evidence to further investigate the tax evasion allegations against themThe business transactions of films made under the banner of Phantom Films founded in 2011 are also being probed the sources said The searches against Mantena are being carried out in context of his links with KWAN of which he is a copromoterBoth are outspokenFounded in 2011 his production house Phantom Films produced films such as ldquoLooterardquo ldquoQueenrdquo ldquoUglyrdquo ldquoNH 10rdquo ldquoMasaanrdquo and ldquoUdta Punjabrdquo Both Kashyap and Pannu who worked together in the 2018 film Manmarziyaan and are now collaborating for film Dobaara are known to be outspoken about their views on a range of issuesAnurag KashyapResponding to a question at a press conference in Delhi Union minister Prakash Javadekar rejected allegations that the raids against Kashyap and Pannu were linked to their comments which are seen at times critical of the BJPldquoThis is too muchrdquo he said of the question ldquoProbe agencies undertake investigations based on credible information and the matter later goes to courts as wellrdquo he addedIn Maharashtra the debate intensified with state minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik describing the searches as an attempt to suppress the voices of those who speak against the Narendra Modiled governmentldquoCentral agencies like ED CBI and Income Tax are being used to target those who take an antigovernment stand and speak against the policies of the regimerdquo the minister told reporters in MumbaildquoThe premises of Anurag Kashyap and Pannu have been raided Both were raising their voices against the Modi governmentrdquo he saidlsquoTaapseersquos last tweetrsquoPannursquos last tweet was on March 1 when she spoke on the Supreme Court asking a man accused of repeated rape whether he was willing to marry the 18yearold victim The actor 33 put out a strongworded post on the matter Kashyap who had visited JNU and Shaheen Bagh during the antiCAA protests last year and is known to be equally outspoken has been quiet on Twitter of late except for occasional retweetingThe 48yearold filmmaker one of the most prominent new directors in Hindi cinema is the man behind ldquoBlack Fridayrdquo ldquoDev Drdquo and the twopart crime saga ldquoGangs of Wasseypurrdquo