MUMBAI: The Income Tax Department's investigation unit today conducted raids and search operations at over 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune connected to film director Anurag Kashyap, Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu, producer & directors Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl and producer & distributor Madhu Mantena.

According to the sources in the IT department, the raids are part of a tax evasion probe against now dissolved Phantom Films in which except Pannu, all others were partners.

Sources also revealed that the raids also covered Reliance Entertainment group CEO Shibhasish Sarkar and some executives of celebrity and talent management companies KWAN and Exceed. KWAN is a celebrity management company founded by Mantena along with Anirban Das Blah.

Since both Kashyap and Pannu are vocal in their social media comments, which are seen at times critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party and their policies, the IT raids at their premises prompted an outpour of criticism from opposition parties who said that they were an attempt to suppress the voices of those who speak against the Narendra Modi government.

In Maharashtra, Congress Party and its ally Nationalist Congress Party were among the first to speak out criticizing the raids with Ashok Chavan of the Congress saying that the raids were the Centre's way to put pressure on people who put forth 'facts' so they do not speak up.

Maharashtra state minister and NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said that the premises of Anurag Kashyap and Pannu have been raided as both were raising their voices against the policies of Modi government.

However defending the governments' side, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said that there was no truth in what the opposition was saying and that the Income Tax department probes someone based on whatever information they get. 

"This is too much, probe agencies undertake investigations based on credible information and the matter later goes to courts as well," he added.