Reporters Without Orders

This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by independent journalist Sunil Kashyap.Sunil reported on the purported rift between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP workers. He delves into the changes in party dynamics after its lukewarm performance in the state in the Lok Sabha polls. He adds that despite the turmoil within the BJP and the tussle between Adityanath and the party’s top leadership, there is no anti-incumbency in the state. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:19 - Yogi vs BJP00:45:45 - RecommendationsRecommendationsSunilChitralekhaSumedhaClerical Error Adityanath’s loosening grip on Uttar PradeshProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Scroll’s Ayush Tiwari and independent journalist Anand Dutta.Ayush reported on the controversies surrounding SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch. He delves into the allegations against Buch in the Hindenburg report and why the undisclosed information about her association with her former firms is a “conflict of interest”.Anand talks about his report on the ongoing political tussle in Jharkhand, focusing on why former chief minister Champai Soren departed the JMM for the BJP.Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:03:00 - SEBI chief and Hindenburg00:18:46 - Champai Soren and Jharkhand politics00:42:33 - RecommendationsRecommendationsAyushWatch MADOFF: The Monster of Wall StreetHusband of a FanaticAnandLaal LakeerWalking with the ComradesBasantSkandal! Bringing Down WirecardProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar.

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 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.