This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by former Executive Director, Air India, Jitendra Bhargava, and Executive Editor of The Frontier Manipur, Paojel Choaba.
The episode begins with a discussion on the devastating Air India crash, where a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers, crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad. Jitender adds, “The cockpit voice recorder and black box will decode what actually transpired between pilot and the co-pilot…and what, if anything, was said to the passengers in the last moments.” Manisha raises concerns about Boeing’s history, citing, “Boeing has actually just wrapped up a long legal case in the US where they’ve paid a billion dollars for two crashes,” though Bhargava counters, “The safety track record must prove what it is,” given the Dreamliner’s extensive operational history.
The panel critiques the media’s handling, with Jayashree expressing dismay: “I thought it was quite upsetting… families had found out minutes ago just as the reporters were arriving.”
The conversation shifts to Manipur’s ethnic conflict, with Paojel providing firsthand insights. He describes a tense peace, “The shooting has stopped, but the violence has become more internal in a way.” Over 60,000 people are displaced, and “more than 200 people have been killed.”
Commenting on the President's rule, he adds, “While there has been some recovery of arms under the Governor's rule, there has been no concrete positive actions to restore normalcy. But law and order has improved.”
The panel also discusses the murder case in Meghalaya dominating headlines throughout the week and the ethics of covering crime stories.
This and a lot more. Tune in!
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Song: Pyaar Me Dil Pe
Timecodes
00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements
00:02:12– Headlines
00:06:51 - Air India crash
00:45:28 - Announcements
00:47:48 - Manipur violence
01:17:31 - Meghalaya murder case and how crime stories should be covered
01:29:47 - Letters
01:38:30 - Recommendations
References
NL Sena - The impunity of India’s police
NL Sena: India’s e-waste underworld
Google Form link for Chennai subscriber meet-up
Investigating UP’s new normal: 3 encounters, 1 spot, same story?
TN police’s ‘slippery’ toilets
Suhaib Ilyasi on creating 'India’s Most Wanted' and Bollywood stings
Recommendations
Jitender
Paojel
Jayashree
How Pakistan fell in love with sushi
Raman
The Bilaspur blueprint: JP Nadda’s political rise and the parallel growth of his family-run NGO
Manisha
Sidhu Moose Wala and the Murder that Shook India
BBC investigation : Kumbh stampede
Basant Kumar’s report on the Mahakumbh stampede
The Bilaspur blueprint: JP Nadda’s political rise and the parallel growth of his family-run NGO
Abhinandan
The 'Nasty, Rotten' Airline Business
Salman Rushdie is not who you think he is
Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters
Produced by Priyali Dhingra and Amit Pandey. Recorded by Ashish Anand and Anil Kumar.
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