The Big Story

By The QuintSociety & Culture News

The Big Story episodes

January 20, 2022 Is Udupi College Admin's Prohibition on Hijab Inside Classrooms Legal?
It has been three weeks since eight Muslim students of a government pre-university college for women, in Karnataka’s Udupi district, were barred by the college authorities from attending classes in their hijab.

As the prohibition continues, The Quint spoke to two of the students – AH Almas and Aliya Assadi – who describe their ordeal with the college management to be nothing short of "mental harassment."

However, the college has said that wearing the hijab would violate the college dress code that has been put in place to ensure uniformity in classes.

In this episode of The Big Story, we bring to you voices of these students to understand their side of the story as they ask why can't they be entitled to both their religious identity and their education?

A meeting held recently on 19 December 2021, between the Udupi assistant commissioner, district officials, parents, and college authorities, also turned out to be futile, with the management refusing to budge.

But is the college’s ban on hijab in classrooms, citing the institution's dress code, legal or illegal? What does the law say?

Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha
Guests: Vakasha Sachdev, Legal Editor, The Quint
Editor: Shelly Walia
Interviews: Fatima Khan

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 min
January 19, 2022 Bishop Franco Case: Why the Kottayam Court's Judgment Is Problematic
More than three years after the Catholic Church was rocked by rape allegations, in a shock judgment on 14 January, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kottayam acquitted ex-Bishop Franco Mulakkal of rape charges filed against him by a nun.

In a 289-page verdict, Additional Sessions Judge G Gopakumar held the victim’s statement as “inconsistent” and that the “prosecution has failed to give proper explanation for the inconsistent version.”

However, the verdict saw some bizarre reasoning to arrive at this conclusion, from an inexplicable dismissal of important disclosures by the survivor to other nuns to calling the primary supporting witnesses in the case “unreliable.”

In her allegations, the survivor stated that the Bishop had raped her 13 times between 2014 and 2016. However, what followed was a harrowing experience both inside and outside the court for the survivor and the nuns who came out in support of her.

And the way the trial took place – with multiple witnesses brought forward by the prosecution who supported the survivor's testimony, Kerala Police's thorough investigation in the case – the final verdict outraged not only women activists but also the legal community, given the several loopholes in the judgment.

In today’s episode, we are going to take a look at the judgment, the reasoning the court gives for acquitting Bishop Franco Mulakkal, and why it is problematic.

Guests:
Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint’s Legal Editor
Sister Lucy Kalappura

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram
Editor: Vakasha Sachdev

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 min
January 18, 2022 'An Orchestrated Move': Journalists Speak on Closure of Kashmir Press Club
Press freedom in Jammu and Kashmir is at stake again after the government cancelled allotment of the premises to the Kashmir Press Club, the largest membership organisation for mediapersons in the Valley, on Monday, 17 January.

In a dramatic sequence of events on 15 January, a group of Kashmiri journalists, apparently disgruntled over the delay in press club elections, “took over” the club and declared themselves as the “interim body”. Armed personnel of the J&K Police were posted both inside the club premises and outside the gate during the "coup".

In a statement, the faction alleged that the management committee of the club was delaying elections for "unknown reasons”, adding that the committee had placed the media fraternity in "unwanted trouble”.

What caused further alarm was that soon after the Kashmir Press Club was taken over, it was locked by the group, citing the COVID-19 weekend lockdown as the reason.

And then on 17 January, the J&K administration said in a series of tweets that the club, which was registered as a society in the erstwhile state, has “ceased to exist” after it “failed to reregister” under the Societies of Registration Act. The administration stated that the building out of which the club was being run was being taken away, thus erasing the press club from existence.

Media organisations across the country condemned the takeover, with the Editors Guild of India calling it an armed “coup," and the Press Club of India terming it “illegal”.

But why was the club taken over so dramatically? Were elections delayed for “unknown reasons” as the faction claims? And what does the sudden closure of the Kashmir Press Club mean for press freedom in the Valley?

For today’s episode, we speak to Sringar-based journalist Auqib Javeed, who was also an elected member of the ousted body. You will also hear from senior Kashmiri journalists such as Shahana Butt, Fawad Shah, Riyaz Masroor and Gowhar Geelani.

Guests:
Auqib Javeed, Sringar-based journalist and an elected executive member of the ousted Kashmir Press Club body
Shahana Butt, senior broadcast journalist based in Kashmir
Fawad Shah, Editor-in-Chief of the Kashmir Wala magazine
Riyaz Masroor, senior journalist
Gowhar Geelani, senior journalist

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram
Editor: Somya Lakhani

Also Read:

Kashmir Press Club ‘Coup’: Another Govt Attempt to Muzzle Journalism?

Interview Credit: Mehran Bhat

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18 min
January 17, 2022 With No Replacement in Sight, Was Kohli's Test Captaincy Exit Premature?
In his resignation note for test captain, Virat Kohli said, “I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team."

With no successor deemed fit to replace him, Kohli’s sudden step down as captain leaves the men in blue in a lurch. While names like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant are in the headlines, no one seems to be the right fit. And with just over a month left for India to start the Sri Lanka series, the empty captaincy seat does put some serious questions on the BCCI’s plate.

So with no clear successor in sight, was Kohli’s decision premature? Should he have waited for longer and nurtured his replacement? And the big question is, who will replace him? Will it be Rohit Sharma, who has already taken reigns of T20 and ODI formats or someone young like KL Rahul?

Joining me today to discuss the same is our regular guest and friend of the show, cricket analyst and commentator, Chandresh Narayanan.

Guests:

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram
Editor: Mendra Dorjey Sahni

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 min
January 14, 2022 Malayalam Actor Assault Case: Why Are New Allegations Against Dileep Important?
The 2017 assault against a popular Malayalam actor, who was allegedly abducted in a moving car in Kerala’s Kochi, continues to rock the state with new evidence surfacing, which may give it a fresh direction.

The new allegations levelled by filmmaker Balachandra Kumar come at a time when the trial case, which involves top Malayalam actor Dileep as a prime accused, is nearing completion.

The case also threw a shadow over the Malayalam film industry, which in the start supported the survivor but quickly moved to the Dileep camp. Even the powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, which revoked Dileep’s membership initially, took him back.

The case has dragged on in the Kerala HC for over two years, with several key witnesses turning hostile and resignation of two public prosecutors.

These twists and turns in the case were also highlighted in the survivor's statement, who, on 10 January, revealed her identity for the first time. In a social media post, she said that “this has not been an easy journey. The journey from being a victim to becoming a survivor.”

So what are these new startling allegations? Why are they important? And what will the police be looking for in the new probe? Tune in!

Guests:
Dhanya Rajendran, editor-in-chief of The News Minute
Nikhila Henry, The Quint’s South Bureau Chief

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram
Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 min
January 13, 2022 India COVID-19 Third Wave: When Will Total Cases Peak and End?
Amid the sharp rise in COVID cases across the country, the one question on everyone's mind is- when will this wave peak and end?

Omicron has supercharged the caseload in India, from just a little under 7,000 daily cases on Christmas last year to over 2.4 lakh cases reported on 13 January, the highest rise in this wave so far.

What is also concerning about this wave is the gradual rise in COVID related deaths in the country, with Delhi alone reporting 40 deaths on 12 January, pushing the national tally 177.

While there are some signs that the wave may be ebbing in a few regions, with hotspots like Delhi and Mumbai reporting a decline in cases between 7-11 January, such indications may be premature since they also reported a sharp rise the following two days.

Experts and modellers have pointed at timelines of a peak and end of this wave and in this episode, we will try to unpack exactly where we are in this pandemic and what the trends indicate so far.

For this, I am joined by our regular guest and friend of the show Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, who is an epidemiologist and health systems expert and Dr Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan.

Guests:
Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, epidemiologist and health systems expert.
Dr Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram
Editor: Vaishali Sood

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 min
January 12, 2022 What Are the Political Implications of Swami Prasad Maurya's Exit from the BJP?
In a major and unexpected jolt to the Bhartiya Janta Party, Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from his post as Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister and is likely to jump ship to the BJP’s main rival in the state- the Samajwadi Party.

And the party was further left stunned after three of its lawmakers— Tilhar MLA Roshan Lal Verma, Bilhaur MLA Bhagwati Prasad Sagar and Tindwari MLA Brajesh Kumar Prajapati —waved goodbye to the saffron party and followed Maurya out of the door.

In his resignation letter, posted on Twitter, Maurya wrote that “despite a divergent ideology, I worked with dedication in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet”.

And the reason we are talking about Maurya’s resignation in today’s episode is that while he may not be a prominent leader in the same lines as a Yogi Adityanath or Akhilesh Yadav, he is an important OBC leader.

His sudden departure from the BJP does raise questions on what is going on with the ruling party and whether this will shift the dynamics in the upcoming assembly elections.

Guests:
Amitabh Tiwari, political analysts and commentator.
Aditya Menon, Political Editor, The Quint

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram
Editor: Aditya Menon

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 min
January 11, 2022 A Peek Into Online Right-Wing Hate Groups 'Trads' and 'Raitas'
"Trads" - that's a word that we've been hearing quite often in connection to the Sulli Deal and the Bulli Bai investigations.

And this word officially came to light when the Delhi Police arrested two accused in the bulli bai case- Aumkareshwar Thakur and Niraj Bishnoi, who claimed that they both are part of the online group ”trad”.

Now, The Hindu right-wing groups in India have so far been seen as a single entity, with a common ideology of propagating larger Hindutva values. However, the recent bull bai app controversy, where photos of over 100 Muslim women activists, journalists were put on an app in a mock “auction”, has shed light over a byproduct of this radical ecosystem which are known by the terms “trad” and “raitas”

In this episode, we will try to unpack what exactly are these groups? What ideology do they follow? How do you recognise one in the wild, and how do they fit into the entire propaganda ecosystem?

To decode these questions, we spoke with journalist Alishan Jafri, who works with The Wire’s Hate Watch team and has been following these groups closely online.

Guest:
Alishan Jafri, journalist with The Wire’s Hate Watch team.

Host and Producer:
Himmat Shaligram
Editor:
Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 min
January 10, 2022 How Will New EC Guidelines Affect Parties in the Upcoming Assembly Polls?
Amid the threat of the Omicron variant and the rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the Election Commission of India released new guidelines on the conduct of the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, which primarily ban all physical political rallies and roadshows till 15 January.

Along with a ban on political rallies, other aspects of the poll guidelines include full vaccination of all officials on election duty, no victory processions post-results, and that political parties and candidates are advised to conduct their campaigns through digital or virtual means only.

While the EC did receive some flak for not pushing the elections altogether, given the record-breaking daily COVID cases, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra defended the decision stressing that holding timely elections is the essence of maintaining democratic governance.

But the guidelines have raised eyebrows on the following two points - first, why have political rallies banned only till 15 January, and second, will this ban affect the level playing field in crucial poll-bound states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab?

Guests:
Dr SY Quraishi, the former Chief Election Commissioner of India
Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram
Editor: Aditya Menon

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 min
January 07, 2022 'Bulli Bai' Case: What Do We Know About The Alleged Mastermind Niraj Bishnoi?
Another breakthrough in the Bulli Bai case investigation! This time by the Delhi police.
A 21-year-old man from Assam, identified as Niraj Bishnoi, who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the Bull Bai app was arrested by the Delhi Police's Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations Unit on 6 January.

With this arrest, DCP KPS Malhotra told The Quint that "the controversial Bulli Bai app case has been solved completely."

As we know, barely six months after the 'Sulli Deals' app had triggered a furore with its blatant Islamophobia and misogyny, the 'Bulli Bai' app was the second instance where publicly available photos of hundreds of Muslim women were misused and put on 'auction' – not a real auction but a despicable intention of debasing and intimidating women.

While the 'Sulli Deals' investigation by the Delhi police had died down without a single arrest, anger amongst targeted women and their allies over the Delhi police's inaction seems to have nudged the probe in the Bulli Bai case to yield some solid results.
With Bishnoi being apprehended now, this is the fourth arrest made in the case including the initial three arrests made by the Mumbai police.

But what do we know about this alleged mastermind? What do his social media activities indicate about his views on women and religion? And how did Delhi police track down Bishnoi?

We'll dig into these questions with our guests today — Somya Lakhani and Abhilash Mallick. Tune in!

Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha
Guests:
Somya Lakhani, Senior Editor, The Quint
Abhilash Mallick Assistant Editor of Webqoof, The Quint
Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

References:

Peek Into Bulli Bai Accused Niraj Bishnoi's Views on Hindus, Tech & Sunny Leone
'He Was on His Laptop All Day': Niraj Bishnoi's Father Claims Son is 'Innocent'
#BulliBai: Has Police Inaction in 'Sulli Deals' Encouraged A Repeated Offence?

Listen to The Big Story podcast on:

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl
Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ
Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng
Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 min