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May 3 was a typical day for 20-year-old Jamngaihkim Gangte. The skies were clear. She attended the classes at college, met friends and then returned to her home at Lamphel in Manipur’s Imphal West by afternoon. Not long after, Jamngaihkim and her family found themselves in the middle of a storm that would wreck many lives in Manipur.  Over the next 24 hours, they would be chased by vindictive mobs, grilled for their ethnic identity, and compelled to lock themselves in a building’s terrace room for five hours before squeezing into a car’s boot to safety. By the end of this ordeal, they would witness unparalleled loss with the killing of Jamngaihkim’s mother and brother. Her mother Gouzavung, 57, was an under-secretary with the Manipur government. The brother, Goulalsang, was 27 and had recently married. The mob worked with clockwork precision: intercepting vehicles, identifying targets, incessant questioning, mobilising people by clanging metal objects in the street and intimidating

Saeeduzzaman brings you the news from Manipur, Delhi and Russia. Produced by P Madhu Kumar, edited by Satish Kumar. source https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/05/30/daily-dose-ep-1364-hc-rejects-sisodias-bail-plea-wrestlers-sit-on-hunger-strike

Saeeduzzaman brings you the news from Delhi, Manipur, and Sudan. Produced by Ashish Anand, edited by Satish Kumar. source https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/05/29/daily-dose-ep-1363-amit-shah-to-visit-manipur-amid-tensions-wrestlers-protest

A day after the new Parliament building was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the front pages of prominent dailies swirled around both the fanfare and controversy associated with the event. While the PM called it an “indelible signature of history”, he was accused of violating the Constitution by 20 opposition parties, who boycotted the event over the lack of an invite to President Droupadi Murmu. The inaugural ceremony also featured a prominence of Hindu religious symbolism with a large number of Hindu seers present and opposition leaders conspicuous by absence. It all came on a day when the Jantar Mantar protest site, where wrestlers had been protesting against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh, was cleared by the police as the protesters tried to march to the new Parliament complex.  Let’s take a look at what the front pages of prominent dailies said. Indian Express The paper ran with a banner headline “May 28, 2023”, with a strap featuring PM Modi’s quote that “some dates be

इस हफ्ते चर्चा में बातचीत के मुख्य विषय 2000 रुपए के नोटों को रिजर्व बैंक द्वारा चलन से बाहर करना, प्रधानमंत्री मोदी द्वारा तीन देशों का दौरा, संसद के नए भवन का उद्घाटन समारोह और उस पर उठ रहे सवाल, पहलवानों के प्रदर्शन का एक महीना पूरा, गृहमंत्री अमित शाह द्वारा जनगणना कराए जाने की घोषणा, मणिपुर में तीन पत्रकारों पर हमला, बेंगलुरु में हुई बारिश के बाद अंडरपास में फंसने से एक शख्स की मौत, चीन द्वारा भारत के देपसांग मैदानी क्षेत्र में बफर जोन बनाने की मांग, कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष मल्लिकार्जुन खड़गे की बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार और तेजस्वी यादव से मुलाकात के अलावा कूनो नेशनल पार्क में चीते के एक शावक की मौत रहे.  चर्चा में इस हफ्ते बतौर मेहमान द वायर की एडिटर और वरिष्ठ पत्रकार सीमा चिश्ती, वरिष्ठ पत्रकार और लेखक पीयूष बबेले, वरिष्ठ पत्रकार स्मिता शर्मा और न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के संपादक (डेस्क) विकास जांगड़ा शामिल हुए. चर्चा का संचालन न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के कार्यकारी संपादक अतुल चौरसिया ने किया. नई संसद के उद्घाटन को लेकर हो रहे विवाद पर चर्चा करते हुए अतुल सवाल करते हैं, “यदि आपकी लोकतंत्र में आस्थ

Scoop , an upcoming Netflix series inspired by journalist Jigna Vora’s book Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison , will start streaming on June 2. In this conversation with Rajyasree Sen, filmmaker Hansal Mehta and actor Karishma Tanna talk about the new crime drama, and the role of the police, judiciary and the media.  Hansal speaks about his fascination with Vora’s story and how he closely followed the journalist J Dey murder case, in which crime reporter Jigna was jailed for nine months before being acquitted of all charges seven years later. “Jigna’s book is a prison memoir…but I felt that there was a potential to go beyond the book. To explore who this person (Jigna) was.”   Karishma, who plays Jagruti Pathak, a character based on the crime reporter’s life, describes her role as “a dream come true”. “I researched about Jigna’s story…my co-actors have been amazing. The ambience on the set was so real…the scenes in the newsroom were tougher than the ones in the prison.”   Th

We want to revive the fading tradition of political commentary through cartoons, a medium that today more than ever needs to be rewarded and not censored.  So Sketchy  is a step in that direction and we want to do much more. We are counting on your support.  Subscribe now . Contribute  to our legal fund now. source https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/05/26/cartoon-coronation-20

This is the fourth episode of Mind ki Baat, a Newslaundry podcast with a neurodivergent host that will focus on the invisible epidemic of mental health issues in society today.  This segment looks at depression – better known than other mental health illnesses, but still not well understood. In fact, their familiarity with the term often leads people to be dismissive of depression, which can have disastrous consequences. Depression is a mental health disorder characterised by persistent feelings of sadness, low moods, and a loss of interest or pleasure in activities. It affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves, and can have various emotional and physical symptoms. This episode features conversations with Mayur Sharma, television personality and host of Highway On My Plate , and Dr Bhavna Barmi, a mental health professional, writer and public speaker with over 25 years of experience in psychology.  Tune in! Resources National Library of Medicine WHO video on depression, “

The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a strongly-worded statement yesterday after reports on three journalists being allegedly assaulted by security personnel in Manipur. “Authorities in India’s Manipur state must thoroughly investigate the recent attack on three journalists by security forces, and ensure that those responsible are held to account,” said Beh Lih Yi, the committee’s Asia program coordinator. “Journalists in Manipur must be able to do their work safely and without fear of harassment and abuse by soldiers.” Imphal Free Press had reported on May 22 that security personnel “physically assaulted” three journalists covering violence in Imphal. The journalists were identified as Sorom Inaoba and Nongthombam Johnson from Mami TV and Brahmacharimayum Dayananda from ANI . They were allegedly accused of pelting stones – a charge they denied. The report quoted the journalists as saying the security forces “dragged us down, tearing off our vests and started beating us wi

If you’re worried about AI taking away your job, here’s a new thing to worry about – AI potentially influencing the “news” being reported. Sadly, this is precisely what happened yesterday. Our cast of characters includes AI, Twitter and Republic , among others. On Monday, there were multiple tweets about an “explosion” at the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US department of defense in Arlington. A photo of this “explosion” went viral, showing a vast column of black smoke near a building. It was later revealed that the image was generated by AI , but the damage was done. Verified accounts were tweeting about the explosion, including Russian news outlet RT . Several Indian news channels then broadcast “live breaking news” coverage of the purported explosion.  Republic TV ’s anchor cited RT as the channel’s source. “We do not have any official information about the cause of the blast,” she said. “Right now, reports are coming in from RT especially, there is an explosion near the

The Delhi High Court last week issued an order directing the Employee Provident Fund Organisation to take note of a former Statesman journalist’s complaint about not receiving his provident fund. Journalist Shahid Pervez, who presently works for the Indian Express , worked at the Statesman for 27 years from 1994 to 2021. On February 10 this year, he wrote a formal complaint to the EPFO seeking criminal proceedings against the managing director and trustee of the Statesman Staff Provident Fund alleging non-payment of his provident fund dues. Pervez then petitioned the high court on May 16, asking for an “investigation” into the matter and the cancellation of the Statesman Staff Provident Fund’s registration. His plea also asked for the prosecution of the company and trustee responsible for the provident fund. On May 18, the court asked for a “speaking and reasoned order” from the respondents on Pervez’s February complaint within six weeks. The respondents include the EPFO, the SSPF

Over the last few months, we’ve seen several headlines screaming about mind-boggling fines levied by the National Green Tribunal. “NGT slaps penalty of 12,000 crores on Maharashtra,” said one . “NGT fines Telangana Rs 3,800 cr,” gasped another . In total, the NGT imposed penalties of Rs 79,234.36 crore on 35 states and union territories – an amount higher than Delhi’s 2022-23 budget of Rs 78,800 crore.  All these fines have been levied in connection with a single case on solid and liquid waste management violations, proceedings for which ended today.  “Our conclusion is that enacting laws and directions of courts/tribunals are not a substitute for good governance,” said the NGT’s principal bench, led by chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel. “Unless the administration accords high priority of the subject, undesirable situation as found may not be remedied.” The case began in 2018, when the tribunal took suo motu cognisance of environmental violations by various state governments. This was

Saeeduzzaman brings you the news from Delhi, Kolkata and the European Union.  Produced by Aditya Varier, edited by Saif Ali Ekram. source https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/05/22/daily-dose-ep-1359-delhi-hc-issues-summons-to-bbc-eu-fines-meta

On Friday, the union government introduced an ordinance giving more power to the Lieutenant-Governor in the administration of Delhi. The LG will now have final say in posting and transfers of bureaucrats. The ordinance is effectively a reversal of the Supreme Court’s verdict just a day before, which ruled that the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over the capital’s administrative services. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal called the ordinance “undemocratic” and an “insult”, and vowed to challenge it in the courts. In this morning’s newspapers, several editorials slammed the ordinance, but criticised the AAP too. The Hindu said the centre is “well within its powers to overturn a judicial pronouncement” but the “more pertinent issue is the political intent”. Under the BJP, the centre is “confrontational, rather than cooperative” towards states, and “has shown little regard for elected governments at lower levels, while claiming for itself all powers on th

As the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee observed on Friday that there was “no coherent pattern of abusive trading” by the Adani group and that some of the charges were “still under investigation”, Adani-owned media house NDTV summed up the 173-page report in the catchphrase: “clean chit” for the group companies. The expert panel report pertains to the investigations against Adani group for alleged violation of minimum public share-holding, disclosure of related party transactions and stock price manipulations. The allegations were stirred by a report titled, ‘Adani Group: How the world’s 3rd richest man is pulling the largest con in corporate history’, published by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research on January 24. While the allegations were already being investigated by market regulator Sebi, the top court also formed an expert panel in March to probe the matter.    In a barrage of reports and TV discussions on NDTV since the release of the expert panel report, the

This week, host Tanishka Sodhi is joined by Newslaundry’s Prateek Goyal and Sumedha Mittal.  The discussion begins with Prateek’s story on Sonu Mansuri, a 21-year-old law intern in Madhya Pradesh, who was accused of being a “PFI agent”  and spent 50 days in jail on cheating charges.  Prateek recounts his interview with Sonu, in which she described her ordeal and opened up about the line of questioning during the interrogations. He delves into the timeline of events that led to her arrest and the impact of one-sided media coverage.  “The media portrayed her as a ‘terrorist’, while all she was doing was her job as an intern and learning things,” Prateek says. He also spotlights how she was targeted because of her religious identity.  The conversation then moves to Sumedha’s experience of reporting from poll-bound Karnataka and her understanding of electoral politics. She talks about the good and the bad of reporting on the high-stake elections in the southern state. “Language was th

embed इस हफ्ते चर्चा में बातचीत के मुख्य विषय कर्नाटक विधानसभा चुनावों में कांग्रेस की जीत, यूएस कांग्रेस में धार्मिक आजादी पर रिपोर्ट, एनसीबी के पूर्व अफसर समीर वानखेड़े पर एफआईआर, भाजपा नेता किरण रिजिजू को केंद्रीय कानून मंत्री के पद से हटाकर अर्थ साइंस मंत्रालय दिया जाना, सुप्रीम कोर्ट द्वारा गठित जांच कमेटी की रिपोर्ट में अडाणी ग्रुप और सेबी द्वारा किसी भी नियम का उल्लंघन नहीं पाया जाना, पंजाब के संगरूर की जिला अदालत द्वारा कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष मलिकार्जुन खड़गे को 100 करोड़ रूपए के मानहानि मामले में समन करना, एडीआर की इलेक्टोरल बॉन्ड पर रिपोर्ट, महाराष्ट्र के अकोला में फिल्म द केरला स्टोरी को लेकर बहस के बाद हुई हिंसा में एक व्यक्ति की मौत, विश्व मौसम संस्था की धरती के तापमान बढ़ने को लेकर जारी की गई रिपोर्ट आदि रहे.  चर्चा में इस हफ्ते बतौर मेहमान वरिष्ठ पत्रकार सबा नकवी, वरिष्ठ पत्रकार हृदयेश जोशी और न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के सह-संपादक शार्दूल कात्यायन शामिल हुए. चर्चा का संचालन न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के कार्यकारी संपादक अतुल चौरसिया ने किया. कर्नाटक चुनावों में कांग्रेस की जीत से चर्चा की शुरुआत करत

Within 70 days of its inception, a new transport company purchased nine acres of land, got the land use category changed, and transferred the plot to the family of a key officer in the Haryana chief minister’s office at a throwaway price of Rs 75 lakh, suggest documents seen by Newslaundry . The sale and transfer took place in Khalikpur village of Badli tehsil in Jhajjar district when Neeraj Daftuar served as a principal officer on special duty in Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s office. Appointed in 2016, he is now in Delhi after he resigned from his post in October last year. Speaking to Newslaundry , Daftuar denied that the land was transferred for a sum of Rs 75 lakh. He said that his family paid an amount of Rs 4 crore but refused to share evidence to support the claim. The “agricultural” land in question was initially part of the Model Economic Township Limited – a Greenfield smart city project run by a Reliance Industries Limited subsidiary. It was purchased for R

Gurmehar Kaur brings you the news from the Supreme Court, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Japan. Produced by Lipi Vats, edited by  Samarendra K Dash. source https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/05/19/daily-dose-ep-1357-supreme-court-gets-two-new-judges-g7-summit-begins

We want to revive the fading tradition of political commentary through cartoons, a medium that today more than ever needs to be rewarded and not censored.  So Sketchy  is a step in that direction and we want to do much more. We are counting on your support.  Subscribe now . source https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/05/19/cartoon-top-priority

सत्ता से सच बोलने के लिए, कार्टून एक बहुत ही पुरानी और साहसिक विधा है. हालांकि भारत में कार्टूनिस्टों पर, चाहे वह मीडिया में हों या फिर उसके बाहर, अपनी स्वतंत्र अभिव्यक्ति को सीमित कर देने का दबाव है जिससे वे सत्तारूढ़ लोगों को चिढ़ा न दें, जिसमें वो निपुण हैं. उन्हें सेंसर किया जा रहा है या फिर वे खुद को सेंसर करने के लिए मजबूर हैं.  न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री पर संपादकीय कार्टूनिस्ट मंजुल का यह साप्ताहिक स्तंभ (सो स्केची) इस दबाव को कम करने का एक प्रयास है. हम कार्टून के ज़रिए से राजनीतिक टिप्पणी की ख़त्म होती परंपरा को पुनर्जीवित करना चाहते हैं. यह एक ऐसा माध्यम है जिसे अब पहले से कहीं ज़्यादा पुरस्कृत करने की ज़रूरत है, न कि सेंसर करने की. सो स्केची इसी दिशा में बढ़ता एक कदम है. हम इससे कहीं ज्यादा करना चाहते हैं और उसके लिए आपका सहयोग आवश्यक है, क्योंकि हम केवल आपके समर्थन से ही चलते हैं. हमारा  सहयोग  करें: क्या मीडिया सत्ता या कॉर्पोरेट हितों के बजाय जनता के हित में काम कर सकता है? बिल्कुल कर सकता है, लेकिन तभी जब वह धन के लिए सत्ता या कॉरपोरेट स्रोतों के बजाय जनता पर निर्भर हो. इसका अर

गौतम अडानी के स्वामित्व वाला एनडीटी समूह नौ नए चैनल लॉन्च करने की तैयारी में है. नेशनल स्टॉक एक्सजेंच ऑफ इंडिया (एनएसई) को दी गई जानकारी के मुताबिक ये चैनल विभिन्न भाषाओं के होंगे.  बुधवार को एनएसई को लिखे गए पत्र में बताया गया है कि नेटवर्क के बोर्ड ऑफ डायरेक्टर्स ने नौ विभिन्न भाषी चैनलों के चरणबद्ध तरीके से लॉन्च करने की योजना से संबंधित सूचना एवं प्रसारण मंत्रालय से अनुमति लेने के लिए एक प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दी है. कंपनी ने कहा कि मंत्रालय से मंजूरी मिलने के बाद यह चैनलों की लॉन्च को लेकर बाकी जानकारियों का खुलासा करेगी.   बता दें कि इससे पहले राधिका और प्रणय रॉय के पास एनडीटीवी का मालिकाना हक था. गत वर्ष दिसंबर में रॉय दंपत्ति ने एनडीटीवी का मालिकाना हक एक समझौते के बाद अडानी को सौंप दिया था. न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री ने तब इस विवादित समझौते को लेकर भी रिपोर्ट की थी, कि कैसे समझौते के बाद एनडीटीवी के सबसे बड़े शेयरहोल्डर अडानी बन गए थे.   केजरीवाल ने सुनाई ‘चौथी पास राजा’ की कहानी, एनडीटीवी समेत कई चैनलों से गायब अडानी के अधिग्रहण के एक महीने बाद एनडीटीवी ग्रुप प्रेसिडेंट सुपर्णा सिंह समे

"मुझे सबसे ज्यादा अफसोस इस बात का है कि मैं अपने तीसरे सेमेस्टर की सभी परीक्षाएं नहीं दे पाई. कॉलेज के अधिकारियों ने अब मुझे सुरक्षा कारणों से कक्षाओं में जाने से मना किया है और सीधे परीक्षा देने को कहा है. उन्होंने कहा कि वे 'दबाव में' हैं."   मध्य प्रदेश के खरगोन जिले के बोरनवा में रहने वाली सोनू मंसूरी 50 दिन जेल में बिताकर घर वापस आई हैं. लेकिन बाहर निकलने में अब भी संकोच कर रही हैं. सोनू अपने परिवार में पहली हैं, जिन्होंने स्नातक की पढ़ाई में दाखिला लिया है. वह एक क्रिमिनल लॉयर बनना चाहती हैं, लेकिन अब उन्हें चिंता है कि उनके खिलाफ इस मामले से कहीं उनका करियर प्रभावित न हो.  इंदौर की जिला अदालत में इंटर्नशिप कर रही लॉ द्वितीय वर्ष की इस छात्रा का जीवन इस साल जनवरी में पूरी तरह बदल गया. हिंदुत्व संगठनों से जुड़े वकीलों के एक समूह ने उन्हें "पीएफआई एजेंट" बताकर उनके साथ दुर्व्यवहार किया, जिसके बाद सोनू को गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया. उनपर आरोप लगा कि उन्होंने एक वकील की वेश-भूषा में अदालत की कार्यवाही का वीडियो बनाकर प्रतिबंधित संगठन पीएफआई को लीक किया था. स्था

Sumedha Mittal brings you the news from Karnataka, Delhi, the Supreme Court and Australia.  Produced by Aditya Varier, edited by Hassan Bilal. source https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/05/17/daily-dose-ep-1355-cong-decision-on-karnataka-cm-cbi-raids-in-insurance-scam-case

“I am a refugee,” says a social worker from Manipur when asked about his profession.  The man in his 40s is among 28 people – mostly women and children – from the Kuki-Chin-Mizo tribe who have sought shelter at a relief camp in Delhi run by the Evangelical Fellowship of India and a few individuals.  Ethnic violence in Manipur has left more than 70 dead, 230 injured, 1,700 houses destroyed and around 35,000 people displaced, with many survivors looking for an escape route. It all began earlier this month after the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur took out a rally in Churachandpur district against the high court’s nod for the scheduled tribe status to the Meitei community. The Supreme Court on Wednesday hinted at the possibility of a stay on the high court order and said it will “ensure that the political executive does not turn a blind eye” to the law and order situation in the state. Meanwhile, at the camp in Delhi, children drew on sheets, youngsters scanned social media for upda

In April, conversations in India revolved around love and its different manifestations.  On the one hand, Netflix matchmaker Seema Aunty preached the virtues of wedded bliss and the need to “adjust” while looking for the perfect partner. On the other hand, a group of lawyers argued for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages, culminating in the Supreme Court reserving its verdict on May 11. This is five years after the apex court’s historic 2018 ruling that decriminalised homosexuality. After the 2018 verdict, a number of matrimonial services were set up, catering specifically to the LGBTQIA+ community. Services like Umeed and Aarzoo were trailblazers, carving out spaces for India’s queer community to find companionship, and perhaps love. But is this what members of the queer community want? We spoke to different people to find out. Services to find matrimonial partners  Kamakshi Madan, the Pune-based founder of Aarzoo, told Newslaundry her services were a response to the cha