This week, host Gurmehar Kaur is joined by Newslaundry’s Anmol Pritam and Pratyush Deep. They delve into the details of two cases of “love jihad”, a Hindutva conspiracy theory, that gained traction in the media.

The first was the abduction of a minor girl from Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, and the second was in connection with the murder of BJP leader Jonali Nath in Assam.

Pratyush and Anmol explain how they developed sources, discovered narratives, and the perils of reporting from the ground. They also point to the eerie similarity with which cases are given a communal spin and the media’s role here. As Pratyush says, “The victim’s family suffers the most.”

Tune in.

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:32 - Uttarakhand communal tension

00:10:08 - Assam murder case turned into love jihad

00:38:35 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Anmol

How the ‘love jihad’ fuse was lit in Uttarakhand

Pratyush

Scoop

Gurmehar

Derry Girls

Produced by Tehreem Roshan and Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Samrendra K Dash.