Kollectively Vigilant: Law and Crime

Episode 9- Season 2-- He Called His Family His Blessing. Then He Killed His Twin Sister.

Caution: Don't use headphones for this episode. Sorry for the bad audio. In this episode, Dr. D and Sam examine the Hardik Singh and Harshita/Himshika Singh case from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. Hardik Singh, a 26-year-old man, allegedly killed his twin sister and attacked his mother after months of visible frustration over work, money, unemployment, online identity, and a failed emotional attachment. Rather than reducing the case to an online infatuation or a religious angle, this episode looks at the deeper layers: the pressure facing young Indians in corporate jobs, the collapse of work-life balance, the emotional burden of failure, the performance of victimhood online, and the psychological process through which grievance can become identity. The discussion uses psychological and criminological frameworks including cognitive dissonance, hostile attribution bias, external locus of control, strain theory, general strain theory, and grievance-fueled violence. This is a case about family, pressure, self-image, and the terrifying moment when the people who supported someone most became, in his mind, the people standing in his way.

Episode 8 -Season 2- Same Law, Different Justice in Australia: Race, Class, and Domestic Violence Self-Defence

In this episode, Dr. D appears on The Tumble Upward Podcast with Kyrren to discuss two Australian cases involving women who killed their abusive partners in the context of domestic violence and self-defence. Although both cases involved women, intimate partner violence, lethal force, and the same wider legal system, the outcomes were starkly different: one woman avoided incarceration, while the Aboriginal woman was imprisoned. This conversation examines how race, class, wealth, and institutional bias can shape whose fear is believed, whose survival is criminalised, and who receives mercy from the justice system.

Hindi- Ep 5- Costco me Parivar par Goliyaan – Accident ya Police Failure?

Yeh episode ek shocking police shooting case ko detail me examine karta hai — 2019 ka Costco shooting incident, jahan ek off-duty police officer ne sirf kuch seconds me ek parivaar ki zindagi hamesha ke liye badal di. Riverside, California me rehne wala French parivaar ek normal aur peaceful life jee raha tha — lekin 14 June 2019 ko sab kuch badal gaya. Kenneth French, jo schizophrenia aur intellectual disability se joojh raha tha, ek Costco store me ek brief encounter ke baad police officer Salvador Sanchez ke haathon goli ka shikaar bana. Sirf 3.8 seconds me teen logon ko goli lagi — aur iske baad jo hua, usne police accountability aur justice system par serious sawaal khade kiye.Yeh case sirf ek shooting nahi hai — yeh systemic failure, police accountability aur legal loopholes ka ek stark example hai. Episode ke end me hum comparative cases (jaise Jaanvi Kandula case aur Alabama me Indian father incident) ke through ek broader pattern ko analyze karte hain — kya yeh isolated incidents hain ya ek systemic issue? Aakhir me sawal yeh hai: jab law enforcement khud scrutiny ke daayre me ho, toh justice kaise ensure hota hai?

Hindi-Ep-4 Whistle Blower Murder In South Africa

Yeh episode South Africa ke sabse shocking whistleblower murder cases me se ek — Babita Deokaran case — ko detail me explore karta hai. Babita Deokaran, Gauteng Department of Health ki senior finance official thi, jinhone Tembisa Hospital me ho rahe massive corruption ko expose kiya. Unhone R850 million ke suspicious tenders flag kiye, R100 million ke payments freeze kiye, aur forensic audit ki demand ki — aur isi wajah se woh ek target ban gayin. 23 August 2021 ko unka brutal assassination hua. Unki maut ne South Africa ke procurement corruption, tender mafia, aur political-criminal nexus ki gehraai ko saamne la diya. Jabki chhe hitmen ko convict kiya gaya, asli masterminds aaj bhi azaad hain — jo system ki accountability failure ko highlight karta hai. Is episode me hum cover karte hain: • Babita Deokaran ki early life aur unka rise civil service me • South Africa ka post-apartheid political aur corruption landscape • ANC patronage networks aur Jacob Zuma ke dauraan “state capture” • Gupta influence aur ongoing corruption issues • Babita ka role Gauteng Health me aur unki financial oversight power • Assassination ka din aur uske baad ka systemic failure • Police investigation me lapses aur alleged cover-ups • Whistleblower protection laws jaise Protected Disclosures Act ki kamiyan • “Protection by obituary” — ek disturbing reality jahan sach bolne walon ko maut milti hai Yeh sirf ek murder story nahi hai — yeh ek system ka post-mortem hai. Babita Deokaran ki death aaj corruption, state capture aur impunity ka ek powerful symbol ban chuki hai. Aakhir me, hum is case ko legal aur criminological lens se analyze karte hain — jab system khud compromised ho, toh justice ka matlab kya reh jaata hai?

Episode:7 -Season 2- 46 Years on Death Row for a Crime He Didn’t Commit | The Iwao Hakamada Case

Thumbnail Picture Source- NHK- Iwao Hakamada spent 46 years on death row, making him the longest-serving death row prisoner in the world—before being proven innocent. In this episode, we break down the wrongful conviction of Iwao Hakamada, a Japanese man accused in 1966 of murdering a family of four. His conviction was based on a coerced confession and deeply flawed forensic evidence, raising serious questions about Japan’s criminal justice system. Hosted by Dr. D, a professor and lawyer, and occasionally joined by Sam, a psychologist, this podcast examines true crime through legal and psychological analysis. We explore: * Forced confessions and interrogation practices in Japan * The impact of a 99% conviction rate * Evidence handling and investigative bias * Life on death row and psychological consequences * The decades-long fight led by his sister * His 2024 acquittal after nearly 60 years This is not just a true crime story—it is a case study in systemic failure, wrongful conviction, and the limits of justice.