Prabhjit Singh and Arshu John were declared winners of the Asian College of Journalism’s Award for Investigative Journalism, 2020. Singh and John’s winning entry, titled ‘Crime and Prejudice’, published in The Caravan Magazine in September 2020, investigates the communal riots that broke out in India’s capital city last year.

The final jury comprising Andrew Whitehead (Chairperson), Anuradha Raghunathan and Parry Ravindranathan chose the winners from shortlisted entries

The award, which comprises a trophy, a citation and INR 200,000/- in prize money, was presented to the winner by the Chief Guest  Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Political Scientist, at the online Convocation of the ACJ Class of 2020-2021.

The jury’s citation read as follows:

‘The range and quality of the entries for this award are a hugely encouraging demonstration of the vigour of investigative journalism, and its ability to shine light on dark corners and to hold those with power to account. The winning entry exposes uncomfortable truths about one of the most painful episodes of a particularly turbulent period in India’s history – the riots which engulfed the nation’s capital early in 2020.

‘Prabhjit Singh and Arshu John, writing in The Caravan, present a detailed and meticulously researched account of the Delhi riots. Their journalism is powerful, compassionate and compelling. It is built on the vivid and unsettling testimony of those who witnessed and suffered in those riots. Their article ‘Crime and Prejudice’ goes far beyond simply reciting eyewitness accounts to testing and challenging the conflicting versions of what happened amid the chaos and confusion of the moment. Timelines are developed, contested narratives are challenged, and complaints to the police and FIRs cited and examined.

‘As with the best investigative journalism, this article looksat what happened from all perspectives, including going to some length to reflect the response of those named as complicit in the violence. The writing is clear and unsensational. The article draws a dismal picture of vicious communal riots conducted in plain sight and of vigilante groups acting with impunity, and chronicles the apparent culpability of some local politicians, the profound shortcomings in the police response and the seemingly vindictive pursuit by the authorities of what appear to be false criminal cases. 

‘At a time of crisis, when the news media is under pressure to fall into line with the official narrative of events, the role of investigative journalists is both more vital, and more hazardous, than ever. As well as expressing admiration for the journalism of Prabhjit Singh and Arshu John, we wish to commend all those news organisations such as The Caravan that are willing to resource – and to publish – long and complex investigative endeavours and so ensure that we are all better informed. For without an independent, respected and fearless news media, democracy is diminished – and so are we all.’     

Other entries which were accorded special mentions by the jury (in no particular order) are as follows:

Environment Undone Series in India Spend by Disha Shetty, Tish Sanghera and Pankhuri Kumar.

Inside Syria – the Naked and the Dead by Lakshmi Subramanian published in The Week.

 Women’s Health Series published in the People’s Archive of Rural India by its team of journalists:
Kavitha Muralidharan,  Anubha Bhonsle,  Priti David, Amruta Byatnal, Jyoti Shinoli, Sanskriti Talwar, Pallavi Prasad, Medha Kale and Jigyasa Mishra