Narcoanalysis

When it was time for us to discuss the next issue, the media was abuzz with the murder of Arushi Talwar, in NOIDA - police investigations had proceeded in a slip-shod manner, accusations were being hurled around citing first the family as the main culprits and then the home's domestic staff. Finally the prime suspect was whisked off to Bangalore for a spot of narco-analysis.

Bhanu talked to Column 9 about an investigative story that he was working on for The Week magazine on the issue of narco-analysis, examining it from many angles. Column 9 discussed whether narco-analysis was, in a sense, becoming a new form of police torture - suspects being subjected to tests (that are not scientifically rigorous) under severe pressure without their consent. Even if the evidence so obtained was unusable in a court of law, the results are often used to influence public and/or judicial pressure upon the suspects which could then cause them to incriminate themselves.

The Karnataka Budget

After the meetings on the "Media on Terror" report which resulted in the work of the fact-finding team being published and distributed (you can view it as a pdf on the right-hand side panel), Column 9 moved on to discuss the Karnataka budget.

Shivasunder had extensive research on the Medium Term Fiscal Policy Act, by which the Karnataka government was bound to act in certain pre-ordained ways by the World Bank and the IMF. New Chief Minister Yeddyurappa may have made several promises to farmers and commited to reforms and sops... but how could he deliver when his Government was actually tied down by the loans it took from international institutions several years ago? The conditions under which these loans were taken allowed the big banks enormous control over how Karnataka would develop - in effect it is they who decide what kind of 'progress' the State will charter.

Column 9 had a series of meetings on this issue which analysed the current Karnataka budget and then wrote out an academic article which is awaiting publishing. If you would like a copy, write us! - column9@gmail.com

Media on Terror report

Here is the Media on Terror report, published by Column 9 - a deeper look at the media reporting on terror in Karnataka. The report was written in the context of a series of arrests that took place in Karnataka between January and March 2008.

The concerns that set the pace for the report were the media reports that emerged at the time rather than the arrests themselves.

Would appreciate comments, suggestions and questions!

The first step

To say it again - Column9 is a group of journalists based in Bangalore, Karnataka.

Why do we call ourselves Column9?

Column 9 is the unwritten column. The column that is always missing. The name stemmed from our realization that there were several issues and perspectives that had either gone missing from our media or had been dropped for various reasons. Within the standard 8 columns of a newspaper, there would be no space for a ninth column filled with these crucial stories. Hence, a group - Column 9, whose endeavor it is to write the missing stories and missing analyses and perspectives into stories that do emerge within the standard 8 columns. As people engaged with media, Column 9 is our effort to not only sensitize ourselves but to re-define our roles as ones beyond mere information gatherers.

This is going to be our space for articles, news reports, stories that we are reading, writing and thinking about.