Truth Vs Hype

Nine years down the line, the encounter of Ishrat Jahan and three others still carries explosive potential. The police claimed they had plans to target Narendra Modi, a claim demolished by repeated investigating agencies. Now the CBI's probe into the conspiracy behind the killings, accessed by NDTV suggest that the top leadership of the Gujarat government might have been in the know of the encounter.Even more damaging are the CBI's revelations on the role of the Intelligence Bureau in stage managing this and another encounter, that of a young man called Sadiq Jamal, a year prior to Ishrat's encounter. But given the intense pressure on the CBI, will it be able to move forward on unearthing why so many were killed in cold blood, invoking a false threat to Narendra Modi?

On Truth vs Hype, watch our special coverage of the 'Himalayan Tsunami' as the Army, paramilitary and the locals mount herculean effort to rescue flood survivors. We bring you hearbreaking stories of survival, stories where thousands lived on little else but hope.

In a week from now, the government might call a special session of Parliament to pass the National Food Security Bill. The UPA says it will solve the hunger crisis while its critics say it will only increase corruption, and that the public distribution system must be wound up and replaced by cash transfers. Both sides would do well to learn from the lessons of states like Chhattisgarh which have managed to fix their public distribution system without a Food Security Bill, without cash transfers or the UID.

On Truth Vs Hype, we discuss if N Srinivasan's position as the BCCI chief has become untenable or will he be able to avert the crisis.

The political storm over the Law Minister tampering with the coal-scam report, which has led to his resignation, has deflected attention from the key question - what was in the CBI status report which triggered so much anxiety within the Government? Because based on its actions so far, the CBI is only acting against companies and unknown government officials for the conspiracy in cornering coal blocks. As we investigate this week, the agency is far removed from going after the political nexus between high level politicians and bureaucrats who were the real decision makers in the coal scam.

The Mamata Banerjee government is facing an escalating crisis, with every day fresh proof emerging of Trinamul links to fraudulent chit fund companies. Her party denies it, saying these are only limited to a few individuals, but we investigate the extent to which the Trinamul, and indeed all political parties in West Bengal have patronised companies that are looting the state's poorest citizens.

In the last 5 years, Karnataka has borne the brunt of a cabinet and an assembly packed with builders, miners and industrialists. Large numbers of ministers and MLAs were charged for land grab, illegal mining and shady business deals. But rather than weed them out in the upcoming elections, political parties have given tickets to all the tainted and fielded even more candidates with vested interests. From the sugar barons of North Karnataka to the real estate dons of Bangalore's sprawling suburbs, we meet the men who will decide the fate of Karnataka, and ask whether one of India's most advanced states is turning into a republic of builders.

There have always been serious doubts about how much freedom the CBI will have in its investigation into the coal allotment scam, given that it entails probing the role of senior ministers, including the the Prime Minister, was holding the coal portfolio during the time the controversial allotments were made. And so when news came it that the Law Minister may have tampered with the CBI's coal scam status report, meant only for the eyes of the Supreme Court, it confirmed widespread fears. The government was quick to deny the charge of tampering, saying that these meetings were only to discuss a technicality. But this week, our investigation reveals that the scope of interference went beyond just the law ministers, involving top law officers and even officials from the PMO. Is this why the CBI's probe into the coal scam so far is only limited to action against lower level government officials, instead of going up the ladder of accountability?

This week as online followers of Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi engaged in a war of Twitter hashtags, the Congress and the BJP met India's leading social media marketing agencies, a sign that mainstream political parties seem to be waking up to the potential of these digital platforms ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections. But despite the growing numbers of social media users - 60 million and counting - can Facebook and Twitter have a significant impact on Indian elections? Are our political parties even willing to embrace the inclusive nature of these platforms, or simply treat them as a vehicle for self-promotion and point scoring?

What started off with the Supreme Court ruling against the Sahara business group for running an illegal investor scheme has now escalated into something bigger, with both market regulator SEBI and the Himachal High Court asking for an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate into the more serious charge of money laundering. This week on Truth vs Hype, we attempt to seek answers as to whether the sprawling Sahara empire is guilty of running chit funds as a front for black money? Or as Sahara claims, is it helping millions of those who have no access to formal banking and is being victimised of India's regulators and enforcement agencies?

Maharashtra is in the grip of the worst ever drought since 1972. Ask the politicians, and they will say it's about a shortage of rainfall. But this week, a Truth vs Hype investigation discovers how Maharashtra's politicians are equally complicit in creating the water crisis. On one hand, we found how scarce water resources are being cornered, even stolen by Maharashtra's sugar barons, most of whom are members of the ruling NCP. On the other hand, how crores of rupees spent on building mega - dams has not helped farmers at this time of crisis. In fact the only beneficiaries of the frenzy of dam-building are Maharashtra's contractor-politicians.

The Supreme Court judgement on the 1993 Mumbai blasts is wide in its scope, involving over a 100 accused, in one of the biggest terror attacks on India. But the flood of reactions from the world of glamour and politics has largely centred around only one accused, Sanjay Dutt: On Truth vs Hype, we attempt to tackle some of the key questions arising out of what has become a polarised debate: on one hand, the film fraternity, and indeed some outside of it have expressed shock, arguing that he has suffered enough. On the other hand voices who point out how Sanjay Dutt has been given special treatment at the very outset, and that his punishment compared to others charged with the same actions, is in fact far too lenient.

The brutalising of a young girl in Delhi has rightly sparked national outrage. But while demanding tougher laws and better policing is crucial, fighting sexual violence poses complex challenges. Through a series of ground reports from Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and as far afield as London and New York, our team of NDTV reporters tackle key questions: from why some cities like Delhi are more unsafe than others, why getting justice for victims of sexual violence remains a nightmare, why much of the social apparatus to fight rape excludes men, and what is the pathology that led the men on board the bus to commit an act of such brutality.

There may be consensus that the Gujarat elections are a no-contest, but the jury is still out on whether to give credit to Modi's performance as chief minister or to his massive propaganda machine, which critics say has vastly inflated his limited success.

Just days after a White Paper on irrigation in Maharashtra gave him a clean chit in the Rs. 70,000-crore alleged scam, NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was re-inducted in the state cabinet.

In Egypt, Tahrir Square is on the boil again, but the target of the protestors this time is not the military regime they helped topple, but the man they voted to power through democratic elections. President Mohammmed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, swept to power in elections this June, but his decision earlier this week to assign sweeping powers to himself has sparked violent unrest, with many seeing it as an attempt by the Brotherhood to monopolise political control. The events bear out the fears we had encountered while filming for Truth vs Hype in Egypt earlier this year, when the same Islamists who are in power today told us that they will adopt a moderate path, an argument which even then had left many unconvinced.

This week our investigation of last fortnight into thes ources of funding of Purti Group, the company of Nitin Gadkari, led to a major political crisis within the BJP. But support for him came from S Gurumurthy, the RSS and BJP supporter and chartered accountant, who went into Mr Gadkari's balance sheets and gave him a clean chit. But on what basis was this clean chit given? And does it answer the doubts about Purti Group's funding, or raise fresh ones?

The sustained investigations over the past few weeks into the financial dealings of Nitin Gadkari and Robert Vadra have raised enough questions of potential wrongdoing. But both sides have claimed there is no illegality committed. On TVH tonight, we place the existing evidence before a panel of experts to understand what are the grey areas in the business transactions of Mr Gadkari and Mr Vadra? Are there are potential violations of the law, major or minor? Or are these simply cases of conflict of interest where pinning accountability is not easy?

All of last week, BJP president Nitin Gadkari was the focused target of Arvind Kejriwal's anti-corruption expose. Political opponents seized the opportunity to level charges of their own. Today, Mr Gadkari was in an NDTV studio to counter all allegations and said they were "biased." There was, he said, no conflict of interest or quid pro quo in companies that he awarded contracts to as a minister, later investing in his businesses. Bring on any inquiry, "I am ready for a probe," said the BJP president to NDTV's Srinivasan Jain in an exclusive interview.

The Robert Vadra-DLF scandal has predictably degenerated into a political slugfest. But on TVH, as always, we break away from the politics, and use the charges made by Arvind Kejriwal as a starting point for our own independent investigation into the business dealings of Vadra. Was the dramatic rise in his fortunes above board, or as alleged, is it a result of cronyism, special favours, and political quid pro quo?