1. The Election Commission has told a blatant lie about how machine-readable voter rolls work. We @reporters_co can say it's a lie because we unlocked the data ECI has put behind unreadable files to show the use of machine-readable data of Bihar SIR.

Please read the thread.

https://twitter.com/AnjaliB_/status/1958114082307113334

2. With the help of experts, starting early in August, we began to collate data on voters on the January 25 final list and the draft Bihar SIR list.

This was the only way to find systemic errors and frauds.

1. The Election Commission of India has ordered a countrywide intensive revision of electoral roles. Would that be an answer to the large-scale problems alleged by Rahul Gandhi and Congress using data from one constituency? The answer is No. Let us tell you why. 2. We must remember, maintaining and updating voter-lists across the country is a massive task. Even with the best intentions, ECI and its army of deputed officers are bound to see some errors.

1. Valimik Thapar, perhaps one of India's most prominent photographers of the Tiger from the pre-2000 era, has passed away.

In India, the journalistic tradition is to write obituaries that make a person who is gone look a saint. 2. I have always felt, for people who impacted lives of millions of others in society, such obituaries are a shame.

Also, every person has many sides to her or him. It is best to remember them as a whole.

Thread 🧵. It's the year end. I would like to close this year by summarising the @reporters_co Modi-Adani Solar Scandal investigation. Please stay with me till the end of this 👇🏽 thread.

Aside: Warm wishes on the turn of the year. @reporters_co 1. The investigation shows how the Modi gov't crafted dubious auctions through which the Adani group secured contracts to sell solar power for an estimated Rs 1 lakh+ crore revenue.

Thread:  In #Manipur the lull in the armed conflict has been broken. Its caught wider attention with the alleged use of drone bombs and rockets by alleged Kuki-affiliated armed groups. Am reupping earlier @reporters_co investigations by @AnganaCk. 👇

Do stay with me for a bit. If you prefer the video version of one of the two investigations, its here 👇. produced by @manasickrogue based on @AnganaCk's investigations.

reporters-collective.in/videos/how-the…

1. A thread on the new stories published over last night on the #ElectoralBondsTracker page.

Based on the disclosures made last evening by SBI and hundreds of corporate filings.

reporters-collective.in/electoral-bond… 1. Keventer group donated Rs 320 crore to BJP while the Enforcement Directorate was chasing it. The group’s companies weren’t making much profit but generously donated crores of rupees to parties.
reporters-collective.in/trc/keventer-g…

Day 3 of #ElectoralBondsTracker. In case you missed the stories late last evening.

Before you read, join us in thanking those who must remain anonymous: The data-crunchers, whistleblowers; politics, banking and industry insiders who have been helping us.

Now, get up to date 👇 1. He was once a co-accused with Amit Shah in the sensational Sorahbuddin fake encounter case in Gujarat. Then all were exonerated. Murderers never found. But, we found his company & family donating Rs 28 cr (at least) to political parties reporters-collective.in/trc/vimal-patn…

#Thread: Does the State Bank of India, with a staff strength of more than 2 lakh employees, need 4 months to put out details on #ElectoralBonds?

My @reporters_co colleague @tapasya_umm & I dive into internal govt and bank records to find evidence and answers. Stay with us 👇 2. We found evidence that proves four things:

i) SBI took orders and instructions from Union finance ministry at every step to process and run Electoral Bonds for years.

ii) It responded with great speed to provide granular as well as aggregated info on the bonds to the govt.

#Thread India's eyes have moved off #Manipur. But the fires that the powerful lit in the state will burn for more than a generation. A twitter note reflecting on us who watch it from afar. 1. It is understandable that many average citizens from the respective communities have been outraged at the mayhem and in anger blamed the other side entirely for it. This is what the violence was supposed to deliver for the powerful - hate and anger.

#thread. Regarding the disgusting abusive treatment by BJP official Malviya of journalist Sardesai and latter's handling of the ugliness. 1. Its a no brainer to state Malviya showed crudity and ugliness on TV. Was abusive.

#Thread: Barefaced Government Lies.

1. A couple of months back an official (a trusted source) told us at @reporters_co something incredulous. @reporters_co 2. He had no reason to lie. Quite to the contrary. But we just couldn't come around to believing him.

#Thread: "People Have Moved On."

1. People, communities and societies have sophisticated ways of coping with grief. Our response to the loss of loved ones during the Covid-19 pandemic has been so.

2. NONE of those methods are premised on erasing history or memory. 3. I have personally suffered the loss of several across different cultures of my loved ones within India. Witnessed the sadness, the anger and the grief of our families. Sat with many trying to find a coping mechanism to move ahead while grieving.

Small #thread: As a journalist when you ask someone specific questions or make specific allegations, the most fundamental journalism ethics require you to present the substantive bits of their response in your story fairly. Not doing so is just bad journalism. 2. In good newsrooms reporters and editors not doing so have got sacked.

#Thread: A little long. Please stay with me till the end.

We @reporters_co handed over the #GujaratDeathRegisters to a team of researchers & doctors at Harvard Univ, Berkeley et al. Our way of producing investigative journalism collaboratively with experts across domains.

1/n Their scientific assessment is now out. Gujarat govt claims only 10,075 people died of #Covid19 since 2020. Harvard's research findings: Death Registers for just one month, April 2021, nail the govt's lies and project the scale of the tragedy.
medrxiv.org/content/10.110… 2/n

#Thread: Why the creation of Ministry of Cooperation under the second most powerful man in the Union govt, Amit Shah, perhaps deserves more serious attention. Read on 1. Historically politicians of many hues, ideologies have played to control cooperatives in their regions to weild and influence this power and resource.

A thread on #SunderlalBahuguna:

1. The best way to pay homage to a legend is to, at least, after his passing, reflect upon her/his life and works critically. To learn the right lessons from the lives of such public persons who impacted others' lives disproportionately. 2. SLB and Chandi Prasad Bhatt created and speared a brand of environmentalism that further hurt the hills of Uttarakhand and its people. This legacy of the two was whitewashed by urban environmental writers and activists.

#Thread: To all the stooges telling journalists not to report the government induced carnage.

It takes courage to breath in the air of death, pandemic and despair every day to keep at it. Many young journalists today do it as their call of duty... 2. They do it even as many editors and owners of publications dither from calling a spade a spade. They do it as these editors spend more time worrying how to tone the news down and keep the masters happy

#Thread: Some good news.

(Please stay with me till the end.)

1. We are setting up a new Fellowship Program for Independent Journalists.

To create and establish it, I have joined as the Media Lead at the National Foundation for India @NFI_India. 2. The new Media Fellowship Program will respond to the current crisis in journalism, strengthens credible reportage and enable independent journalists.

I will be working with NFI's Executive Director, Biraj Patnaik @birajpat to co-create the Fellowship Program.

@Moyuriee okay, this shall be a longer response.

1. When the Bonds were first announced as a scheme, I remember I read every govt record in public domain and smelt a rat. A big sewer rat of an idea. ...2 @Moyuriee 2. They principally went against all principles of a transparent electoral process that is responsive only to citizens and not to any other artificial entity, such as a corporate...3

#Thread.

Hey friends. Have a short story to tell. About journalism. A dream. Some thoughts. And a plan.

Will you please stay with me till the end?

I urge you to. 1. We won @ACJIndia's award for Investigative journalism this year. It was for the Electoral Bonds series that ran eventually into 10 parts, 7 languages and 11 publications.

I purposefully use 'we'. It took a whole village of people to get the series out.

#Thread:

In keeping with enthusiasts congratulating UP for suspending all labour law for 3 years. My new proposals for further reforms

1. Environmental laws tend to be rent-seeking too. So suspend them all for five years. Everyone can set up any kind of polluting unit anywhere. 2. Market, polluting entrepreneur and communities can openly negotiate how much pollution they want in their waters, lungs ans food