I don’t agree with the two arguments in the episode:

1. That there is no chance of any conspiracy against Vinesh Phogat.

I belong to Haryana, and I have seen how sports in Haryana work since childhood. The murders, spiking of food, politics of coaches, drug peddling, and gundagardi are very common among sportspersons here. If you have seen these things happen around you, you may also believe in these conspiracy theories. The level of pressure and politics involved can make the best of the people do some very bad things.

2. On the sub-classification of the quota, this is the political move used multiple times by the politicians to break the SC/ST votes into factions. I believe creamy layer is better than classification as this will make more chances for the poor who could not get benefit within the Scheduled Castes and the people like me who have taken this benefit once should not take more advantage. A creamy layer will uplift the whole community than just a few families.

Sumit 

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Is the judiciary using AI? The logjam of cases can be reduced with that. We should stop celebrating isolated Supreme Court judgements. These just show the ones who were able to go there. For example, if Arvind Kejriwal was a non-entity or not living in Delhi, could he approach that court seamlessly? Judicial changes are required to move with the times. The lack of timely judgements leads to anarchy in the Indian system.

Dr Nikhil Kalale 

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Hi NL team, as per NCRB data, on average, more than 50 crimes against women are recorded every hour in India. Perhaps that is why we as a society have become desensitised to a great degree, and we have stopped even reacting to news of crimes, such as rape, almost every day. Yet, the recent Kolkata rape case has stirred an outrage (as it should). I do wonder, though, whether the outrage generated here was simply because of the monstrous crime, or was there some other reason involved? We know several other cases across the country (Hathras, Kathua, Shakti Mills) that were also horrible but were forgotten with time. Also, I am sceptical, but I do hope some long-term solution for women’s safety emerges out of this (which sadly never does).

Vatsal 

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I am writing once again to advocate for Newslaundry to start an environment desk. We are entering a phase of climate change and environmental destruction where we are increasingly hitting planetary boundaries. Look at the past few years and the stories about heat waves, floods, and cyclones, as well as the annual reports on pollution in Delhi and floods in Assam. Additionally, we must consider the second-order effects on agriculture, immigration, crumbling infrastructure, and public health. Unlike in the past, where the effects were theoretical, we can now see and feel the impact.

These issues are likely to worsen in the foreseeable future. By establishing a dedicated department or reporters, Newslaundry can lead in presenting the bigger picture and shifting the discourse on these critical challenges.

I suggest launching an NL Sena dedicated to environmental issues for a year. Hopefully, there are other subscribers who share my concerns and will support this.

Srijith 

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There is a book on Amazon named The Girl from Kathua. This book is written by a professor, who is the president of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, to justify the rape of a nine-year-old girl. Also, I think women’s safety is a social issue, just like the caste system and many other things that should be dealt with in social reforms rather than asking for surveillance on women or in the workplaces. Your thoughts?

Rohit Kulkarni 

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I have a very specific pet peeve. When you recommend books, you generally give links to Amazon. However, it would be nice if you could perhaps give links to independent bookshops instead of only Amazon. Most independent bookshops ship all over India. One example is Midland Bookshop (no conflict of interest, just a lovely family-run shop that I have been visiting for 25 years, and I’m 35).

Although, I must add, as they are not as big as Amazon, they might not have the book. So, I would request that you perhaps search to see if any independent bookshop has the book as well. I don't know about everyone else, but I need these bookshops to survive.

Also, a recommendation for Abhinandan: please have a listen to “Aloo Andey” and “Dhinak dhinak din ta da” by Ali Aftab Saeed from Pakistan – rich in satire and in Punjabi! He also has a podcast now named The Musbat Show, which is a nice way of knowing what is keeping our lovely neighbours busy. #lovethyneighbour

Somsubhro Chaudhuri 

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Hi NL team, I love your work, and I’ve been a long-time fan and subscriber. It’s my Saturday ritual to watch TV Newsance and listen to Hafta. I’m truly thankful for the kind of perspective I gain on issues due to the podcast. It’s a small thing, but I wanted to mention that I love the song suggestions that you've been sharing at the end of Hafta, and my petty pet peeve is that you don't end the video podcast with playing that song. It's just a nice ending. Thanks again for everything that you do. A shout out to NL Reads as well. I really appreciated the option to listen to Nidhi Suresh’s 11-chapter story on the sexual assault of the Kerala actress.

Sahithi