Reporters Without Orders

This week, host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by Newslaundry’s Sumedha Mittal, The News Minute’s Sukanya Shaji, and independent journalist Nidhi Suresh.Nidhi and Sukanya reported on Kerala’s #MeToo storm and the exploitation of female actors in the Kerala film industry. They also reported on the recently published Hema Committee report, which revealed that the industry’s top male actors, directors, and producers were involved or complacent in the matter. They discuss the report’s findings and fallout.Sumedha reported on the death of a 23-year-old Faizan after alleged police brutality during Delhi riots in February 2020. A viral video of him lying semi-conscious on the road, battered, taunted, and forced to sing the national anthem by cops was widely circulated then. She found out that despite clear duty charts, no police official was held responsible for what the high court termed a hate crime. The probe was eventually transferred to the CBI after the court issued a stinging indictment of the “tardy” police investigation.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:42 - AMMA and the Malayalam industry00:08:37 - Hema Committee Report00:46:15 - Faizan and Delhi cops00:01:04:45 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSukanyaLekhayude Maranam Oru FlashbackNidhiPublic Secrets of Law: Rape Trials in IndiaSumedhaShe SaidShivnarayan‘Take Hema Committee report seriously’: Parvathy to Kerala govt | Dhanya Rajendran | InterviewProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by independent journalist Pranab Mondal and the Quint’s Aliza Noor.Pranab talks about his report on the horrific rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and the events that unfolded following the incident. He discusses how it is a culmination of mismanagement and malpractice while shedding light on the “lobby system” in hospital administration.Aliza reported on a different aspect of the Kolkata case – about searches for the victim’s “video” trending on Google and porn sites. She says that the data shows a phenomenal surge in searches for such videos.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:03:13 - Kolkata horror00:20:32 - Victim’s video search00:38:04 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAlizaBhima Koregaon: Challenging CasteAngry Young MenTanishkaLet Me Explain: What is Hema Committee report on Malayalam cinema all about?Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.

This week, host Anmol Pritam is joined by Newslaundry’s Basant Kumar and Ishita Pradeep.Basant reported on a “herbal firm” which allegedly frauds youngsters in lure of a “luxurious life”. He talks about his investigation into the company’s modus operandi of network marketing and pressuring its staff for adding new members in the chain, failing which they were physically assaulted and abused.Ishita talks about her report on the Indian media’s coverage of the Bangladesh crisis and attacks on Bangladeshi Hindu minority. She delves into the situation in the country at present and how some media outlets emphasised on the communal angle and ignored the administrative failure.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:03:37 - Doctor’s ‘rape’00:14:32 - Fraud firm00:28:51 - Bangladesh violence00:44:47 - RecommendationsRecommendationsIshitaWhy Loiter?Kavita Krishnan,Secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA)BasantNo Nation for WomenHindenburg जिन्न की चपेट में SEBI प्रमुख माधवी बुच और Vinesh Phogat को सलामी | NL Tippani 200AnmolActivist whose RTI flagged ‘Smriti Irani-linked Goa cafe’ alleges home ministry ‘witch-hunt’New complaint alleges Taloja prison underbelly: ‘Mutton meals for Rs 8,000 per kg, 40% cuts, zero record’Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.

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 Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by Newslaundry’s Tanishka Sodhi and the Hindu’s Ashna Butani.Tanishka talks about her deep-dive on Shubhash Chandra, Zee Media founder and former Rajya Sabha MP, and the shift in his stance on the central government. She explains why his recent remarks on the dip in India’s rank on the World Press Freedom Index and the SEBI’s investigation into his alleged financial improprieties hint at souring terms between Chandra and the Modi government.   Ashna delves into her recent report on the gender gap in owning digital devices, especially mobile phones. She says that this digital gap faced by many young women in rural India, due to conservative mindsets and stereotypes, impacts their day-to-day lives. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:57 - Subhash Chandra00:13:15 - Digital Gap00:31:50 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAshnaGod of Small ThingsTanishkaSona darlingShivnarayanSubhash Chandra’s winds of changeA phone of her own: Digital gap’s fallout on young women in rural IndiaProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.