How The Wire Produced 'The Forced Guilt Project': The Story Behind the Story

The series begins with the questions: How did India’s principal counter-terrorism law enforcement agency get so successful in the courtroom? How did it secure what it claims to be its “near perfect” conviction rate?

You read a lot of news and opinion pieces on The Wire’s pages — on an average, we publish around 40 pieces a day. Outrageous updates, important news and deep dives make their way in and out of your attention span.

But every once in a while, there are stories that fit no preconceived structure. They open our eyes and change the way we may have accepted things before we read them. Sukanya Shantha’s series on the National Investigation Agency is one such work. The series begins with the questions: How did India’s principal counter-terrorism law enforcement agency get so successful in the courtroom? How did it secure what it claims to be its “near perfect” conviction rate?

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This question led Sukanya to eight Indian states and several towns and cities. Over the course of two years of research, Sukanya found that a startling strain runs through NIA’s convictions – the phenomenon of accused persons pleading guilty. Her investigations into this have made the "The Forced Guilt Project,” which was supported by the Pulitzer Center.

The Wire‘s Soumashree Sarkar speaks to Sukanya Shantha and the website’s deputy editor, Jahnavi Sen, who anchored the project, for a glimpse into how a series of this scale is produced.  Read the full series starting here.