Reporters Without Orders

This week, host Dhanya Rajendran is joined by independent journalist Nidhi Suresh and The News Minute’s senior sub-editor Lakshmi Priya.Nidhi reported on the kidnapping and sexual assault of a Malayalam film actor by six men, allegedly orchestrated by another actor. The panel discussed how these events unfolded and their impact on both the regional film industry and society. They also delved into how women actors confronted misogyny and patriarchy within Malayalam cinema.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:29 - Unmasked Malayalam cinema00:51:19 - RecommendationsRecommendationsLakshmiIt's Vinesh Phogat's world. We are lucky to be part of itHow Vinesh Phogat won the Olympic medal: Fought with heart, thought with headNidhiAn Unbelievable story of RapeHollywood Ending: Harvey Weinstein and the Culture of SilenceVinesh Phogat breaks silence: Everyone outside is treating me like I am a dead thing… One medal (lost) and everything is finishedDhanyaThe Many Lives of Syeda X : The Story of an Unknown IndianProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.

This week, host Pratyush Deep is joined by Newslaundry’s Avdhesh Kumar and Anmol Pritam.Anmol has been on the ground to cover the conditions in which three UPSC students died in a flooded basement library of the Rau’s IAS coaching centre in Delhi’s Karol Bagh. He gave a detailed account of how the tragedy unfolded, the subsequent blame game, and why Delhi’s coaching hub is more of a “business model than an education model”.     Avdhesh reported on the multiple incidents of violence involving kanwariyas. He delved into how the authorities purportedly turn a blind eye towards such incidents and give the religious groups a “free hand” as they resort to violence, leading to “a total collapse of law and order”.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:47 - Death of UPSC aspirants00:28:43 - Kanwariya violence00:46:06 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAnmolHar zulm tera yaad haiAvdheshMaharajaPratyushDead ‘Maoist’ talking: The aftermath of a security operation in ChhattisgarhProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by the Wire’s Sukanya Shantha.Sukanya talks about her report on India’s prisons where prisoners were allotted work on the basis of their caste. She says that the Chief Justice of India eventually expressed concerns over the “most disturbing” practice and said he would direct the government to take action. She also delved into other such colonial rules that are still in practice. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:36 - Casteism in prisons 00:35:05 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSukanyaBEYOND PRISONSSumedhaBarred: A Prisons ProjectProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Sumedha Mittal and Shivnarayan Rajpurohit.Sumedha spoke about her report on how candidates from outside Gujarat picked centres in the state as part of an alleged NEET scam racket. She explained how NTA’s management failed as students from Odisha, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh travelled to Gujarat and “wrote” the exam in Gujarati.Shivnarayan reported that 14 companies that significantly bankrolled political parties in the past decade were given several government projects, some despite being banned or blacklisted earlier. He delved into how raids, extortion and murky ecosystems lead to the quid pro quo.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:05:32 - NEET paper leak00:15:50 - Electoral bonds00:37:38 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSumedhaThe caste alliances that won Uttar PradeshShivnarayan‘Gujarati answers, non-Gujarati candidates’: The NEET cheat sheet at 2 centresSeats quota, banquet halls, buses and answers: How to leak a paper in BiharBasantVarchasvaProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Naresh Kumar.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Basant Kumar and Avdhesh Kumar.Basant reported on the modus operandi of gangs involved in the alleged NEET paper leak. He explains how an interstate nexus of government employees, coaching institutes, and other powerful forces orchestrate paper leaks.Avdhesh spoke to the kin and survivors of the Hathras stampede that claimed at least 121 lives. He shares how they perceive self-styled godman Surajpal, alias Narayan Sakar Hari, alias Bhole Baba and why there is little accountability. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:58 - Paper leak00:21:08 - Hathras stampede00:42:46 - RecommendationsRecommendationsBasantMaharajMirzapurAvdheshRussia offers compensation and citizenship to kin of Indians killed in Ukraine war Tanishka‘Why leave the house? Sit at home and do path puja’ — misogyny rears its head after Hathras tragedyProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, and recorded by Anil Kumar.

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by independent journalists Sunil Kashyap and Jatinder Kaur Tur. Sunil spoke about his report on the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha result and how the BJP workers’ overconfidence and ignorance led to the party’s seat loss. He said Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party’s “PDA card” – reaching out to the “pichre” or backward, Dalits, and “alpashankhak” or minorities was a hit for the INDIA bloc in UP. Jatinder threw light on the jailed leader Amirtpal Singh’s poll campaign from behind the bars and his subsequent win from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab. She gave insights on who managed the poll campaign on the ground, what was the poll plank, and how they convinced people to vote for him.    Tune in.In times of misinformation, you need news you can trust. We’ve got you covered. Subscribe to Newslaundry and power our work.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:28 - Key factor behind UP Lok Sabha result 00:32:46 - Backstory of Amritpal Singh’s election campaign 01:05:25 - Recommendation Recommendations Jatinder Kaur TurCaravan June edition How to do the work Sunil KashyapRajnigandha Sumedha Mittal Lapata Ladies Produced by Ashish Anand, edited by Umrav Singh, recorded by Anil Kumar.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Avdhesh Kumar and independent journalists Alishan Jafri and Nidhi Suresh.The discussion begins as Alishan talks about his report on the sense of betrayal and anger felt by NEET aspirants after 67 students scored the top rank, in a “doubtful and faulty” result. The possibility of meritorious students making it to prestigious institutes stands diminished.The conversation moves on to the horrific rape of a minor who was sexually abused for two years, first when she was just 12 years old. The child born out of the crime reunited with his mother years later, and pushed her to file an FIR, lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding such incidents. The accused were convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail last month. Nidhi speaks about her experience covering the case.Avdhesh chips in, talking about his report on how the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party turned around its poll fortunes in the electorally crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. It was a “PDA” formula that helped the party succeed. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:11 - NEET Issue00:19:30 - Battle for Justice00:31:02 - PDA over NDA00:46:49 - RecommendationsRecommendationsNidhiWhat binds Prajwal Revanna, Brij Bhushan Singh, Kuldeep Sengar – a system that treats women as dispensablePublic Secrets of Law: Rape Trials in IndiaAvdheshMuslims in India: भारत में मुस्लिम मां-बाप और उनके बच्चे अब कैसा महसूस कर रहे हैं (BBC Hindi)How India's elections are dividing the nation | Witness DocumentaryTanishkaExit polls, foreign investors, and stock market mayhem: What really happened?Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Shivnarayan Rajpurohit and Prateek Goyal to dissect the fallout of exit polls on the stock market.  As the Lok Sabha results starkly contrasted the exit polls – most of which were bullish on the Narendra Modi-led BJP – the stock markets hit an all-time high and then crashed, between June 1 and June 4. The panel throws light on the influence of exit polls, stock manipulation malpractices, and the media’s role as pollsters. The reporters also delve into the mandate in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, and the possible reasons that went against the BJP and the factors that worked in favour of the Congress.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:24 - Exit Polls00:13:39 - Election Results00:51:28 - RecommendationsRecommendationsShivnarayanLaapataa LadiesPrateekPanchayatBasant8 A.M. MetroProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.