Reporters Without Orders

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Sumedha Mittal and Pratyush Deep. Sumedha talks about her report on Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Her investigation revealed that even after this massive exercise, the ECI has conferred wrong house numbers to lakhs of voters. This, she says, creates the perfect opportunity to fill the lacunae with fake voters. After the ECI’s SIR, over 1,000 voters in Bihar were grouped under a single non-existent house. Her investigation highlights that whatever mistakes were there in the electoral roll are still on the list even after the SIR. Pratyush’s report highlighted Assam’s 3,000-bigha land row and the controversy around it. While the story played out on social media, with claims that the land was being handed over to the Adani Group, Pratyush’s report reveals that it is, in fact, Mahabal Cement that had ownership of the land. In another report from Assam, Pratyush follows the complainants behind recent FIRs against journalists, who ostensibly had links to the BJP or the RSS student wing ABVP. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:05:06 - Loopholes in SIR 00:23:30 - Illegal land allotment 00:33:54 - FIRs against Journalists 00:44:25 - Recommendations Recommendations Sumedha EP-339 | Political Pressure, TRP War, Media Credibility & Influencers vs Journalists | Kalli Purie Pratyush The Rebel Army Behind One of the World’s Major Rare Earth Supplies Basant Saare Jahan Se Accha Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Anmol Pritam is joined by Newslaundry’s Avdhesh Kumar and Ashish Anand. Avdhesh discusses his report on a protest against the Supreme Court’s August 11 order to remove all stray dogs from the Delhi-NCR region. Disheartened dog lovers protested at Connaught Place, where protesters were confronted by the Delhi Police, who detained them. Avdesh says that this is the first time that religious slogans have been heard in such a protest. Talking about his other report on UP police’s new model of “justice”, called Half Encounter or Operation Langda, Avdesh mentions how the police shoot suspects in one of their legs to capture them alive. Once hit, the accused collapses, and the police arrest them. He says people are framed in a false case, and the police script a fake encounter to appear real. Ashish shares his experience reporting from ground zero in Uttarakhand’s Dharali village, which was cut off after multiple floods hit the region. There was no road and phone connectivity, the power supply was cut off, and the supply of essential goods had come to a halt. He describes the trials of the residents, whose homes were destroyed and relatives went missing. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:04:28 - Protest for Dogs 00:06:51 - Uttarakhand disaster 00:23:54 - Half Encounter 00:36:50 - Recommendations Recommendations Ashish Meiyazhagan The Hunt for Veerappan Pyaasa Avdhesh 'We finally feel accepted’: Gujarat village ends Dalit haircut ban; elders back move Anmol A Man of Action Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Naresh Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Shivnarayan Rajpurohit is joined by Newslaundry’s Avdhesh Kumar and Sumedha Mittal. Avdhesh talks about his first story in the series ‘Half Encounter’, or what the Uttar Pradesh Police call “Operation Langda”, which is a practice where police shoot suspects in the leg to capture them alive. Once hit, the accused collapses, and the police make the arrest. “Hemant, a young DJ from Mathura, was wrongfully picked up by UP police and shot in the leg,” says Avdesh, who elaborated on the details of the fake encounter. He said 9,467 suspects were shot in the leg by UP police under the operation since 2017. Sumedha discusses her report, which reveals that the LG of Jammu and Kashmir spent Rs 70 crore on print ads, with Rs 12 crore worth of ads given to just five newspapers. “There is a concern over the discrimination in how ad money is distributed in Kashmir. The top three dailies that received the most ad money had overwhelmingly pro-LG Manoj Sinha and pro-Modi coverage,” she said. Avdesh also talks about his coverage of the recent protests by SSC students and teachers over multiple last-minute exam cancellations, the selection of a blacklisted vendor, failure to issue admit cards on time, and poor administrative coordination. Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:10 - Half Encounter Story 00:16:21 - Kashmir Newspaper Ads 00:26:11 - SSC protests 00:31:08 - Half Encounter 00:32:30 - Recommendations Avdhesh Annihilation of Caste - Dr. BR Ambedkar Insurance scams: मरे हुए 'ज़िंदा', ठगे गए परिवार, कहां तक फैले हैं घोटाले के तार?- ग्राउंड रिपोर्ट Sumedha Saiyaara Shivnarayan Exclusive: India’s e-waste mirage, ‘crores in corporate fraud’ amid govt lapses, public suffering Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Team This week, host Anmol Pritam is joined by Newslaunndry’s Prateek Goyal, and Basant Kumar. Reporting from Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, Prateek uncovers a chilling case of alleged police brutality that led to the death of Sadiq Ali Jafri. While the police claim Jafri died of natural causes, his wife and family allege he was killed in a police chokehold as part of a deliberate cover-up. They say the family was harassed in the aftermath – Sadiq’s father was jailed for over a year, one brother remains behind bars, and his wife, Saiba, is now battling a hostile system in her fight for justice. Prateek’s investigation reveals how the police allegedly tampered with the postmortem report and fabricated witnesses to shield themselves. This harrowing story is part of Newslaundry’s NL Sena series on police impunity. Meanwhile, Basant reports from Gujarat, uncovering how Muslims remain trapped under the Disturbed Areas Act. In Vadodara, he tells the story of Onali, a local who has spent years fighting to take possession of land he legally purchased. Onali and his brother-in-law bought a plot in Champaner Darwaza, Fatehpura, back in 2016. But when Onali applied to the deputy collector’s office for permission to transfer the property, as required under the Disturbed Areas Act, his request was denied. He has since been caught in a relentless loop of court hearings and police visits, struggling to claim what is rightfully his. Onali believes the opposition from local Hindu residents is the key reason behind the continued deadlock. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:29 - How Muslims struggle to buy property in Gujarat 00:09:01 - I can’t breathe: Maharashtra man’s ‘last words in police chokehold’ 00:35:04 - Recommendations Recommendations Prateek The Hunt Basant Eleven How Muslims struggle to buy property in Gujarat Anmol How Muslims struggle to buy property in Gujarat Produced and edited by Tista Roy Chowdhury, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Team This week, host Sumedha Mittal is joined by The Caravan’s Sunil Kashyap, and Jatinder Kaur Tur. Jatinder reports from Kashmir, where three bodies of locals who were in police detention surfaced in the Veshaw River. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Kashmiris felt being suspected and criminalised. Amid rampant arrests and deaths, families like that of Nazir Ahmad Magray – whose 20-year-old son was taken in a night raid by the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group – have been left shattered. “We are talking about three brothers [and one man] who went missing and there was no believable story from the police. It is said that they drowned in Veshaw river or naala, which was completely dry and no one could have drowned there,” says Jatinder. Meanwhile, Sunil's report uncovers an unseen, unheard truth from Bihar. At Bodh Gaya’s Mahabodhi Mahavihara – a sacred Buddhist site – Buddhist monks and Dalit-Bahujan groups are protesting the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949, which mandates Hindu involvement in managing the temple. This stems from centuries of Hindu appropriation of the site, despite its centrality to Buddhism. “The Hindu Sangh sees Buddhism, not Islam, as its biggest ideological challenge,” says Sunil. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:02 - Kashmir police silences questions as bodies emerge from the Veshaw River 00:20:59 - The Bodh Gaya Protest 00:45: 37 - Recommendations Recommendations Jatinder How to Forgive Sunil In 6 months, Fadnavis seat added 29,219 voters. Poll staff claim lapses A flurry of new voters? The curious case of Kamthi, where the Maha BJP chief won Sumedha A border ran through it: The life and lonely death of an 80-year-old Kashmiri man Produced and edited by Saif Ekram and Tista Roy Chowdhury, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Avdhesh Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Sumedha Mittal, BBC’s Abhinav Goel and reporter Akansha Kumar. Abhinav presents an in-depth report on the true death toll of the Mahakumbh Mela tragedy that happened in January. While the Uttar Pradesh government has officially acknowledged 37 deaths due to the stampede, BBC’s investigation has uncovered at least 82 fatalities so far. Despite government promises, many of the victims' families have yet to receive the promised compensation. Akansha uncovers allegations of police impunity in Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh. Her deep dive into police encounters in Uttar Pradesh reveal chilling accounts from families who lost loved ones in suspected extrajudicial killings. Several families allege that police not only carried out unlawful encounters but also attempted to silence them with bribes. Many of these encounters took place in the same location: Goonghwa Ka Bagh in Kaushambi. Affected families are running from pillar to post in their fight for justice and accountability. Meanwhile, Sumedha brings a sharply different story from Delhi. Since his appointment as Lieutenant Governor in May 2022, VK Saxena was known for publicly targeting the AAP-led government over civic issues. However, his stance appears to have softened following the BJP’s rise to power in February 2025. Sumedha’s report explores this shift in tone – tracing how the LG's confrontational approach has evolved and what it reveals about the changing political dynamics in the capital. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:04 - Beyond 82: The Controversy Over Kumbh Stampede Casualties 00:31:20 - Encounter Raj in UP: A Deep Dive into Its Persistent Reality 00:52:24 - Dynamics Between Delhi's LG and the Ruling Party: An observer’s view 00:59: 58 - Recommendations Recommendations Abhinav The Unwomanly Face of War The Sharp Knife of Memory Sumedha Rahul Gandhi writes: Match-fixing Maharashtra Today in Politics: Congress to make people aware of Rahul’s ‘fixing polls claims’ with processions across Maharashtra Akansha Among the Trolls: My Journey Through Conspiracyland Avdhesh Dr. Ambedkar: Life And Mission Produced and edited by Hassan Bilal and Tista Roy Chowdhury, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Anmol Pritam is joined by Newslandry’s Basant Kumar and The Reporters' Collective’s Ayushi Kar. Ayushi talks about her report on the recent controversy between content creators and the news agency ANI. She explains how India’s guidelines on fair uses are not so publicly disclosed which leads to such disputes. Some of YouTube’s policies of fair use are also undefined that is why ANI weaponises its claim on their videos, she adds. Basant reported on the shift of Gujarat Samachar, a prominent newspaper in Gujarat, which once stood by the then CM Narendra Modi during the 2002 Godhara riots. He explains how the nature between Modi and the organisation changed over time and the situation worsened to such an extent that it led to ED and IT searches. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:04:04 - ANI vs content creators 00:18:15 - Gujarat Samachar 00:49:39 - Recommendations Recommendations Ayushi My Year of Meats Basant ANI Finds Business Niche In Copyright Claims Against YouTubers पहली बार सांसद बने बृजभूषण सिंह के बेटे को मिला मंत्रियों वाला बंगला, गेट पर अभी भी पापा का नाम दर्ज Anmol ANI’s news business: ‘PR’ contracts with CMs, podcasts and a quest for power Produced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by Newslaundry’s Anmol Pritam and The News Minute’s Nidhi Suresh. While the rest of the country exhaled a sigh of relief at the announcement of a ceasefire in the India-Pakistan conflict, Poonch held its breath – and bled quietly. Nidhi and Anmol were on the ground, when the cross-border shelling began. Thirteen lives were lost. Thirteen names that won’t make it into strategic briefings or celebration speeches. Parents buried their twins, Zain Ali and Urwa Fatima – born five minutes apart, and died five minutes apart. In another home, a wedding that was about to be planned turned into a funeral when the father of the bride-to-be never came home. These aren’t just tragic anecdotes. This is the aftermath of a conflict that never really ends for the people living on its edge. Nidhi and Anmol’s reports on the families in both the city and the villages reveal that all of them carry the same expression – numb, disbelief, and tired of being forgotten. Their stories don’t scream, they ache. And in that ache lies a quiet question: why is Poonch always left behind? They came back with more than interviews. They came back with grief, with names, with stories that deserve to be told. Stories of loss, of resilience, of people who live through war long after the last gun falls silent. Tune in. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:15 - From Tension to Tranquility: Ceasefire was announced 00:09:34 - Shelling without Warning: The Unseen Threat Lurked in Poonch 00:36:56 - Misinformation flooded in mainstream and social media 00:43: 58 - Recommendations Recommendations Nidhi Society Girl: A Tale of Sex, Lies, and Scandal Anmol Saving Private Ryan Basant American Man Hunt: Osama Bin Laden Produced and edited by Hassan Bilal, Ashish Anand and Tista Roy Chowdhury, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reporters’ podcast about what made news and what shouldn’t have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Anmol Pritam is joined by Newslaundry’s Shivanarayan Rajpurohit, independent journalists Ashfaque EJ and Saurabh Kumar. Shivnarayan talks about his report that uncovers how an Adani subsidiary gained access to its controversial power plant site in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur through a forest department road – without obtaining the required forest clearance that would precede such arrangements. “Experts say that the project and road leading up to it will cause a lot of damage to the surrounding flora and fauna,” he says. Saurabh and Ashfaque’s documentary follows five of the 18 anti-CAA activists accused of orchestrating violence during the 2020 Delhi riots. “Through our documentary, we wanted to show that the Delhi police, to cover up its inefficiency in containing the violence during the 2020 Delhi unrest, booked these activists,” says Saurabh. He adds that the FIRs against the activists is not based on “concrete proof” and has “several loopholes”. Tune in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.