In a shocking case, the parents of a seven-year-old girl, who died of dengue after undergoing treatment at the Fortis Hospital, were allowed to take their daughter's dead body after paying the exorbitant bill of Rs 18 lakh.

Residents of West Delhi's Dwarka, the parents of the deceased have alleged that the hospital staff kept their daughter on ventilator for three days despite she had stopped responding to the treatment.

The child died on September 14, 2017.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda later called for details of the case and assured to look into the matter.

"Please provide me details on hfwminister@gov.in .We will take all the necessary action," said Nadda in a tweet.

As the information about this case went viral, the hospital immediately issued a statement regarding the patient.

According to the hospital, Adya was brought to Gurgaon's Fortis Memorial Research Institute from another private hospital on the morning of August 31, 2017.

"She was admitted with severe dengue which progressed to dengue shock syndrome and was managed on IV fluids and supportive treatment as there was a progressive fall in platelet count and hemoconcentration," said the hospital in a statement.

As her condition deteriorated, she had to be put on ventilator support within 48 hours.

"The family was kept informed of the critical condition of the child and the poor prognosis in these situations. As a process, we counselled the family daily on the condition of the child. On 14th September, 2017, the family decided to take her away from the hospital against medical advice (LAMA - Leave Against Medical Advice) and she succumbed the same day," said the statement.

Stating that there was nothing wrong at their end, Fortis said that all standard medical protocols were followed in treating the patient and all clinical guidelines were adhered to.

"An itemized bill spread over 20 pages was explained and handed over to the family at the time of their departure from the hospital. Patient was treated in the Paediatric ICU (PICU) for 15 days and was critical right from the time of admission requiring Intensive monitoring," said the statement.

"Treatment during these 15 days included mechanical ventilation, high frequency ventilation, continuous renal replacement therapy, intravenous antibiotics, inotropes, sedation and analgesia.A Care of ventilated patients in ICU requires a high number of consumables as per globally accepted infection control protocols. All consumables are transparently reflected in records and charged as per actuals."

Fortis Hospital also said that they have been in touch with the family to address their concerns and remain available for any further support required.

"We understand the grief of the bereaved family and our heartfelt condolences go out to them."

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe faces the start of impeachment proceedings on Tuesday that could see him ousted within the week, against the backdrop of a military takeover dubbed "Operation Restore Legacy".

The ruling ZANU-PF party plans to bring the impeachment motion in parliament, after a Monday noon deadline expired for the besieged 93-year-old leader to resign and bring the curtain down on nearly four decades in power.

A statement just released tonight by Gen. Chiwenga pic.twitter.com/UeVM9kh5U4

— Zim Media Review (@ZimMediaReview) November 20, 2017

Impeachment would be an ignominious end to the career of the "Grand Old Man" of African politics, once lauded as an anti-colonial hero and the only leader Zimbabwe has known since it gained independence from Britain in 1980.

Mugabe has so far shown no signs of stepping down and has called for the weekly cabinet meeting to take place as usual on Tuesday. It would be the first time ministers sit down with him since the military took power on Wednesday.

In the draft impeachment motion, ZANU-PF - which expelled Mugabe from the party on Sunday - accused him of being a "source of instability", flouting the rule of law and presiding over an "unprecedented economic tailspin" in the last 15 years.

ZANU-PF's Chief Whip, Lovemore Matuke says 230 members attended Monday's party caucus meeting. Matuke says of the 230 that attended, there was a 100% vote for the impeachment of President Robert Mugabe. pic.twitter.com/6jBcRagtZb

— SABC News Online (@SABCNewsOnline) November 20, 2017

It also said he had abused his constitutional mandate to favour his unpopular wife Grace, 52, whose tilt at power triggered the backlash from the army that brought tanks onto the streets of the capital last week.

The military operation was launched after Robert Mugabe sacked former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, in a move meant to boost Grace's chances of succeeding her husband.

Zimbabwe's top general said on Monday talks were planned between Mugabe and Mnangagwa, who was expected back in the country soon.

General Constantino Chiwenga also revealed that the army's intervention was codenamed "Operation Restore Legacy" and was progressing well.

Fall of Grace

It has been marked by unexpected twists and turns.

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Harare to celebrate the impending downfall of Mugabe, accused by critics of retaining power through terror and election-rigging and of running a once-vibrant economy into the ground.

They expected him to resign within hours. Instead Mugabe dashed their hopes with a bizarre and rambling televised address on Sunday night in which he made no mention of his own fate.

Since last week, Mugabe has been confined to his lavish "Blue Roof" residence in Harare, apart from two trips to State House to meet the generals and one to a university graduation ceremony at which he appeared to fall asleep.

Grace, known as "Gucci Grace" for her alleged fondness for extravagant shopping sprees, and at least two senior members of her "G40" political faction are believed to be holed up in the same compound.

Her stark reversal of fortune was underscored on Monday when the state-run Herald newspaper - which in August proclaimed her "A loving mother of the nation" - ran a piece headlined "Youth League slams 'uncultured' First Lady."

"Grace Mugabe lacked grooming and true motherhood as shown by her foul language," the paper quoted the ZANU-PF's youth wing as saying.

Writing by Ed Stoddard; editing by Andrew Roche

Tumhari Sulu, written and directed by the Suresh Triveni, presents the story of a Mumbai-based housewife who aspires of becoming a radio jockey. Produced by T-Series and Ellipsis Entertainment, Tumhari Sulu stars Vidya Balan in the titular role. Balan has Neha Dhupia, Manav Kaul and Vijay Maurya as co-stars in the film, with Malishka Mendonsa aka RJ Malishka making a special appearance.

Tumhari Sulu is the latest in the series of slice-of-life films to have come out of Bollywood in the recent times. These films are certainly a departure from the run-of-the-mill films that Bollywood keeps churning out. The success of such films is dependent on ensemble cast rather than star power. The screenplay gives freedom to the director as well as the actors to explore new things. Tumhari Sulu is no different in this regard. Some of those who watch it may be reminded of the light hearted family drama films of the '70s.

Vidya Balan's performance in Tumhari Sulu is part playful, part sober. Here is a woman who is constantly reminded of her failures by those around her. We learn that she failed in her Class XII exams not once but twice. The third time around she fell in love and got married and could never complete her studies. She has always wanted to work but her family responsibilities haven't allowed her to take up a job even though her husband's salary is barely sufficient to run the household. But it hasn't stopped her from regularly taking part in locality events/competitions wherein her talent gets constantly acknowledged. So when she learns of an opening for the role of an RJ, she is quick to pounce on it. Only things are not as simple as she thinks at first. The rest of the film is about her trying to overcome the various obstacles that prevent her from realizing her dream.

Tumhari Sulu begins on a promising note but it fails to sustain the impetus. Radio offers a great opportunity as a cinematic trope and several movies in the past have used it to great effect. Two great examples that come to mind from Hindi cinema are Mani Ratnam's Dil Se and Shakti Samanta's Anurodh. What Shah Rukh Khan and Rajesh Khanna achieve in the two films, respectively, allows radio to become a character of its own. Of course, the credit also goes to the direction and the writing in those two films. Sadly, this homogeneity seems to be missing in Tumhari Sulu. Also, Vidya Balan's accent lacks consistency and keeps fluctuating throughout the film. The endless product and service placements in the film come across as rather annoying.

Tumhari Sulu certainly has its moments and the first half is really well done but somewhere the second half fails to sustain the brilliance. And, in the end, what could have been an exceptional film falls short by some margin.

Rating: B-

A version of this review was first published in A Potpourri of Vestiges.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

By Ajit Kanitkar*, Pune, Maharashtra

In the Indian context, any discussion around marketing agricultural produce of farmers begins with depressing statistics. It tells us of loss of so many thousand tons of fresh produce rotten and wasted in the post-production and post-harvest cycle. It is then argued that the country needs to invest heavily in post-production infrastructure and ensure reforms in the marketing of agricultural produce so that farmers have options to sell outside the existing channels of agricultural produce marketing committees (APMC), popularly known as mandis.

Some experts even go a step further in arguing that farmers should actually time their produce and produce what the market wants. They propagate dreams such as from farm to the fork or plough to plate. While these are important macro-economic discussions, a small experiment is underway in Pune for the past one year. These are weekly farmers' markets that are now catching the attention of the current and aspiring political class too, besides getting increased patronage from both farmers and urban consumers.

Some experts even go a step further in arguing that farmers should actually time their produce and produce what the market wants.

To a rural citizen, this urban phenomenon of a weekly market might not sound interesting at all. There are thousands of weekly markets, popularly known as rural haats, which are organized in each and every corner of the country. A weekly haat offers time and space to hundreds of small and marginal farmers and other small and micro-enterprises to market their agricultural produce week after week. The place and time is pre-determined. Some of the hawkers move from one day to another day to market their produce. The same concept seems to be catching up in cities such as Pune.

Greater options

For urban consumers, the weekly farmers' markets are one more source for procuring their daily stock of vegetables. This is not to say that this is not useful. If one looks at the growing urban market in cities like Pune, a recent phenomenon that is happening is that many of the traditional grocery stores have slowly expanded their physical space and also their service offerings. So typically, a grocery shop such as a Mahalakshmi or a Hanuman store (also called as kirana shop in the local language) now have vegetables displayed for sale at the entrance of the shop.

The traditional mobile vending carts are probably on the decline at least in the middle and high-income localities of the city.

The traditional mobile vending carts are probably on the decline at least in the middle and high-income localities of the city. These are now replaced by permanent vegetable vendors — often on encroached footpaths and walkways — that sell their stuff in the evenings. A new addition to these options is mobile vegetable shops. A small vehicle is parked at a busy junction on major roads, the vehicle dubbing up as a mobile shop containing assorted fruits and vegetables. In the above scenario, a weekly farmers market is one more option for the urban consumer.

Typical weekly market

The weekly markets are organized in the residential areas, preferably in an open plot of land. The market is located in an open and vacant plot either of the corporation and or of the housing society or a public minded citizen agreeing to make available the land for a nominal rent. The arrangement is mutually convenient since the market functions just for a day of the week and that too for a few hours in the morning. The associated hassles for land-related arrangements are nominal.

The weekly markets are organized in the residential areas, preferably in an open plot of land.

The market does not have any infrastructure except a vacant piece of land in the midst of densely populated area of the city typically having a number of residential apartments. On Sundays, a group of 50 to 60n farmers from neighbouring villages and some as far as 50 km bring their produce. Most of these farmers have their own transport vehicles that they use for bringing the vegetables.

The produce is displayed under a makeshift structure created for the purpose. The market starts around 8 am and gets over by noon. Mostly fresh and seasonal vegetables are available. Some farmer groups have also started bringing fruits and selling some processed produce such jowar and bajra flour. Depending on the location of the market, about 400 to 500 customers are estimated to be visiting the weekly market.

Direct marketing

These markets offer vegetables that are directly brought to the market from the field. The weekly market also offers consumers options to buy many seasonal vegetables at their doorsteps. In terms of prices, since there are other competing vending outlets, some even close to 10 meters in the vicinity of the weekly farmers markets, the prices are competitive.

Another advantage that I see is that such markets for the first time offer a possibility to an urban consumer to see the face of the farmer. Here one encounters a farmer and sometimes even his family members who have accompanied the famer directly selling his produce. I have seen some conversations happening after the transactions are over.

Last but not the least, local political leaders see this as a good opportunity to score some brownie points. For them, it is a useful event to tell their constituency that they are doing something for them as also for the farmers. I have seen many posters and huge display of hoardings where even the ministers are invited for the inauguration of the weekly markets.

Do these markets work for farmers?

These markets are weekly and hence while offering a certainty to consumers for a predefined day for the market (usually Sundays), they do not offer flexibility to farmers. In other words, these markets cannot and will not take care of all the farm produce that a group of farmers will have. The farming system in our country is not that organized that farmers will plant vegetables in such a manner that these are ready only for such a market on a Sunday. A weekly market cannot substitute a well-functioning APMC market. However, it is one more option for farmers.

The weekly markets are also uncertain in terms of its place since the place is usually made available on the basis of the goodwill of the locally elected politician or a social worker. The same place need not be available if the owner of the place so decides.

These markets are weekly and hence while offering a certainty to consumers for a predefined day for the market (usually Sundays), they do not offer flexibility to farmers

During days of rains (at least 15 to 30 days in a three-month cycle), the place cannot be used, as it does not have any permanent fixed infrastructure such as raised platform and or a shed. Most of the open spaces in the city in the last two months were inundated with water during the monsoon and thus unsuitable for holding a market.

The most important limitation, however, is the scale of operations of such weekly markets. Our estimate is that as of now, there will be at most about 20 such weekly markets (this number is also on the higher side) in different localities of Pune city. For a population of over 6 million and each weekly market accommodating just about 30 to 50 farmers at the most, the weekly market is not really an option to other existing channels of sales be it APMC and or other decentralized new vending systems that are propping up in all parts of the city.

Even assuming that similar operations begin to scale up, Pune might need close to 500 such weekly markets across all parts of the city to cater to the growing middle class market. Even after assuming that so many weekly markets do come up, those can offer outlet for not more than 25,000 farmers at best.

Here again, one is assuming that all farmers have the means of transport at their disposal to bring their produce to the cities. A weekly market by its design will accommodate limited participation of both consumers and farmers. Thus, while it is a useful intervention if seen from the perspective of an urban consumer, it is sorely inadequate if seen as a farmer.

Ajit Kanitkar is a Consultant for Tata Education and Development Trust and a Member of the research team at Centre for Development and Research in Pune. Prior to this, he was Program Officer at Ford Foundation, India office, and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, both in New Delhi. He taught at Institute of Rural Management, Anand, during 1992-1995.

Views are personal.

This article was first published on VillageSquare.in, a public-interest communications platform focused on rural India.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

NEW YORK -- India's nominee Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected as the fifth judge to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after the United Kingdom withdrew the nomination of Christopher Greenwood on Monday.

According to the U.N. News, Bhandari received the absolute majority of votes in elections at the Security Council and the General Assembly.

Expressing her happiness over the victory of Indian nominee at the ICJ election, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took to her Twitter page to say, "Vande Matram - India wins election to the International Court of Justice. JaiHind. #ICJ"

Bhandari joins Ronny Abraham of France, Chaloka Beyani (Zambia), Antonio Augusto Cançado Trindade (Brazil), Nawaf Salam (Lebanon), and Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia) as the five judges who will serve along with ten other judges at the ICJ.

Their nine-year terms will begin on February 6, 2018.

After withdrawing their candidate, the U.K. will not have a judge on the bench of the ICJ for the first time in its 71-year history .

Earlier, India reportedly called out the U.K. for its 'undemocratic' and 'cabalistic' tactics to win elections at the ICJ.

Established in 1945, the ICJ is composed of 15 judges, who are elected by an absolute majority in both the General Assembly and Security Council.

In a massive victory for filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan (and for believers of democracy), the Kerala High Court overruled the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's decision to arbitrarily remove Sexy Durga from the selection made by the jury.

Sasidharan moved court when he learnt the Ministry had dropped the film from the 'Indian Panorama' section of IFFI. Three jury members -- chairperson Sujoy Ghosh, director Gyan Correa, and writer Apurva Asrani, resigned from the jury to register protest.

According to Live Law, Justice K. Vinod Chandran overruled the objections raised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He noted that the CBFC certified version of the film was entitled to be screened at the festival.

The Ministry tried to defend its position by stating that the Indian title of the movie Sexy Durga would hurt religious sentiments. It's other contention was that the makers submitted an 'uncensored' version of the film. The court quashed these points, observing that there wasn't a significant difference between the censored and the uncensored versions. Furthermore, it noted that the Ministry had no powers to overrule the decision made by the jury.

The decision could probably bolster the chances of Ravi Jadhav's Nude, another film the Ministry dropped from the Indian Panorama section.

Sasidharan, who is in Australia, where a film of his is being screened, said in a Facebook post, "I usually don't celebrate victories. But this I cant stay away. This is the victory of cinema. This is the victory of our democracy. This is the victory of those people from jury who sacrificed. Cheers India!"

Also see on HuffPost:

The government is considering bringing a legislation in the winter session of Parliament to put an end to instantaneous triple talaq, a Muslim way of divorce which is still in practice despite the Supreme Court striking it down.

A ministerial committee has been set up to propose a suitable legislation or amend existing penal provisions, which would make instantaneous triple talaq an offence, government functionaries said today.

As the law stands today, a victim of talaq-e-biddat or instant triple talaq would have no option but to approach the police for redressal of her grievance as a Muslim clergy would be of no assistance to her.

Even police are helpless as no action can be taken against the husband in the absence of punitive provisions in the law, they explained.

The ministerial committee has been constituted to frame a new law or an amendment bill, and the government plans to bring this legislation in the winter session of Parliament, the functionaries said.

In August, the Supreme Court struck down the controversial Islamic practice of instant divorce or talaq- e-biddat as arbitrary and unconstitutional.

But there have been reports of a number of divorces by way of talaq-e-biddat even after the judgement, the functionaries said.

This could be because of lack of awareness and the absence of deterrent punishment, they said.

Despite advisories being issued to the members of the community against the archaic practice, there seemed to be no decline in the cases of divorce by talaq-e-biddat, they claimed.

Soon after the SC judgement, the government said that a law on triple talaq might not be necessary as the order was now the law of the land. They felt that the provisions of the Indian Penal Code were sufficient to deal with cases when aggrieved women approached police.

In a recent case of talaq-e-biddat, a man working with a leading educational institution divorced his wife through WhatsApp and SMS, the functionaries said quoting media reports.

The controversy-ridden International Film Federation of India (IFFI) was officially declared open Monday evening, in the presence of key members of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Bollywood, and other film personalities.

A glittering ceremony took place at the Shyam Prasad Stadium in Taleigao, about 20 minutes from the state capital, Panjim, which also functions as the main venue for the 9-day-long extravaganza.

Hundreds of local Goans, tourists, journalists, and sundry festival guests descended into the stadium where Shah Rukh Khan was the chief guest, while actors Radhika Apte and Rajkummar Rao compered the event.

Khan spoke about dissent at the opening ceremony. "Sometimes, we dance along with the film. At other times, we get angry, disturbed or agitated. That exactly is the magic of storytelling, a magic which has the power to touch all our senses and in doing so, actually binding us together. The essence of storytelling is incomplete, if there is no story listener. And I believe that storytellers and story listeners are, or at least should be, like a family."

Back at the red-carpet, the question on the minds of the assembled press was one: isn't it a bit ironical to celebrate cinema in a glitzy ceremony when actors and filmmakers are being blatantly issued death threats, when the ministry organising the festival has dropped 3 important films, despite being selected by the jury, and when there's a general culture of fear that's taken over the creative industry, thanks to fringe groups almost having a free pass in holding filmmakers at ransom?

The condemnation, or rather the lack of it, from the artistic community was more telling than any comment probably could.

A conspiracy of silence, monosyllabic responses, and reluctant one-line remarks, monopolised the red-carpet.

Musicians walked away mid-way, producers absolved themselves by distancing their role in the controversy, and actors maintained a diplomatic stand even as Smriti Irani, Minister of Information & Broadcasting (I&B), sniggered inside the auditorium, at one point saying, 'Rajkummar, I would like the whole country to know that you made fun of Irani — a minister — which shows what a tolerant government we are."

Rao had made a joke, drawing connection to Smriti's last name and Irani filmmaker, Majid Majidi, whose film, Beyond the Clouds opened the festival.

HuffPost India was at the red-carpet and we asked every person who walked the red-carpet about the current climate of fear and governmental over-reach, stifling of freedom of expression, and about the ongoing Padmavati row, where the makers had to postpone the film's release after multiple threats from the Karni Sena (the makers have called it a 'voluntary' decision)

When asked about the Padmavati row, producer Boney Kapoor on IFFI red carpet said, "Padmavati is, well, not my film." Great way to show solidarity.

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

AR Rahman at the IFFI Red Carpet, when asked about the Padmavati row, "Sorry." Walks away. "i will let you know..." well done, Mr Rahman.

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, the director of two critically-acclaimed films, Bareily ki Barfi and Nil Battey Sanata, chose not to respond to the question on Sexy Durga and Nude being dropped. Tiwari is also part of the steering committee of IFFI 2017.

Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, director of Barely ki Barfi, and who is part of IFFI's steering committee, on S Durga and Nude being dropped: "I don't want to say anything on that."

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

As of today, the Kerala High Court passed a decision, asking IFFI to screen Sexy Durga, overruling the Ministry's decision.

Despite repeated pleas, producer and former Disney head honcho, Sidharth Roy Kapoor, walked away, choosing not to respond to the media.

Dangal director, Nitesh Tiwari, also walked past.

Rajkummar Rao, who appeared on the red carpet after the ceremony was over, did not take any questions from the media.

Vishal Bhardwaj, who was present at the ceremony as he's written the dialogues for the opening film, Beyond the Clouds, didn't respond to questions about the Ministry arbitrarily dropping Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's Sexy Durga and Ravi Jadhav's Nude. When asked about freedom of expression being under threat, he said, "No, I don't want to say anything. I am here to attend the film festival."

Talking about the Padmavati row, Bhardwaj said:

"I stand with Mr Bhansali." Vishal Bhardwaj on Padmavati row.

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who features in a key role in Padmavati, spoke at length about the controversy.

He said, "I don't think there is anything in the film that is unacceptable or not in good taste. Eventually, Padmavati will come out in full force. Our Constitution says that you are innocent until proven guilty. Same should be extended to Padmavati, it should not be considered guilty even before people judge it."

When this reporter asked if the systematic attack on Padmavati could have been possible without the complicity or the tacit support of the government, Shahid said, "I can't answer all your questions. If we do not get the certificate, then I would feel very demotivated. But we're in the process of procuring it right now."

Majid Majidi, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of Children of Heaven, who has made films in times of great unrest in Iran, said:

Majod Majidi, a filmmaker who has made films in a very trying environment, on the current environment of censorship: "It is happening all over the world. An independent voice shouldn't be choked."

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

"Even if a government tries to suppress a voice and contain it, artists will always find an outlet to put their work out," Majid Majidi on the rising censorship in India.

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

Prasoon Joshi, the current chief of the Censor Board:

When asked what's the point if celebrating cinema at a film fest when the idea of cinema is in itself under threat, Prasoon Joshi said, "there are many people who don't get to watch international films, fest is for them, as for Padmavati, we need to stop being angsty."

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

He went on to say, "Due process is being followed. Talks are going on. We need to sit and reach a consensus which all parties agree upon."

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

Criticising the way actors of Padmavati have been threatened, Nana Patekar said, "Their language has been inappropriate, and I hope nothing like this happens. See, everybody takes creative liberties when it comes to making a film. People can get offended by it or not, but it is my responsibility as a filmmaker that I don't hurt anybody's sentiments. But here, commenting on the film, or objecting to the story without watching the film is totally wrong."

The strongest comment came perhaps from upcoming actor, Ishaaan Khatter (Beyond the Clouds), who said:

Young actor Ishaan Khattar perhaps had the 'bravest' comment. "I don't believe art should be suppressed (in the manner it has)". On S Durga and Nude being dropped from IFFI, a fest where his film, Beyond the Clouds, is premiering.

— Ankur Pathak (@aktalkies) November 20, 2017

He then proceeded to walk in for the ceremony, saying, "Right now, I want to focus on my film which is opening the festival."

Also see on HuffPost:

It seems now that the 16-year-old suspect in the gruesome Ryan International school murder of a 7-year-old boy has allegedly retracted his confession, according to a report in the Hindustan Times. The juvenile suspect has reportedly said that he was beaten up and forced to confess – an allegation that a former suspect, a school bus conductor at the school, had leveled against the Gurgaon police.

The report said, quoting unnamed sources, that the boy told a team appointed by the Juvenile Justice Board that "the investigators beat him up and recorded the confession in their own words."

The investigating authorities had earlier said the boy had confessed to killing Pradhuman Thakur inside one of the school's bathrooms to postpone an upcoming exam and parent-teacher meeting.

But in his latest statement, the juvenile suspect said he "heard the screams of a boy and that is when he ran out and informed the gardener and then a teacher about what he had seen."

Multiple sources also told HT that the boy had searched the internet for types of poisons and methods to remove fingerprints from a knife that he had allegedly purchased from a shop in Sohna.

The CBI arrested the Class 11 student and charged him with murder last week.

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij demanded strong action against officers of Haryana Police who investigated the Ryan murder. The BJP MLA from Gurugram also sought stringent action against police officers who ended up arresting bus conductor Ashok Kumar for Pradhuman's murder.

The police arrested Kumar on September 8. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar handed over the murder case to the CBI. The CBI began probing the case from September 22 and arrested the Ryan student on November 8, It also gave a clean chit to the conductor.

(With inputs from agencies)

I think they had every horse with four legs still alive in the county in that town.

Art of Living founder and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Monday told a student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) that homosexuality is a "tendency" that may change in later life and that it's not permanent.

"This is your tendency now. Just acknowledge it and accept it, and know that this tendency is not a permanent thing. It may change. I've seen many men who were gay, later on turn into heterosexuals, and there are those who are normal — what are called straight people — end up being gay later in life," he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Delivered the annual Nehru Memorial Lecture at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/XYYxIrZ98h

— Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) November 13, 2017

The Art of Living guru was invited to JNU to deliver the 13th Nehru Memorial Lecture.

Incidentally, a few years ago, Sri Sri had said homosexuality has never been considered a crime in Hindu culture. In fact he minced no words when he said that "nobody should face discrimination because of their sexual preferences."

Homosexuality has never been considered a crime in Hindu culture. In fact, Lord Ayyappa was born of Hari-Hara (Vishnu & Shiva). #Sec377

— Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) December 11, 2013

Homosexuality-not a crime in any Smriti. Everyone has male & female elements. According to their dominance,tendencies show up & may change.

— Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) December 11, 2013

Nobody should face discrimination because of their sexual preferences. To be branded a criminal for this is absurd.

— Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) December 11, 2013

Whenever spiritual leaders have spoken up about homosexuality, they have stirred up strong emotions in the community. For example, Ramdev, a yoga guru followed by the masses vowed to "cure" homosexuals of their gayness, indicating that it's a disease, triggering a backlash from a community already persecuted for their sexual preference.

"Homosexuality is not genetic. If our parents were homosexuals, then we would not have been born. So it's unnatural," Ramdev had said.

Barbie has released its first doll wearing a Hijab on Monday to honour American Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad.

The doll was unveiled at Glamour's Woman of the Year Summit in New York as part of Barbie's Shero program, which recognises remarkable women and their achievements. This year's recipient, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, is honoured as the first woman to compete at the Olympic Games while wearing a Hijab.

"I'm proud to know that little girls everywhere can now play with a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab!" Muhammad wrote on Instagram. "This is a childhood dream come true."

Thank you @Mattel for announcing me as the newest member of the @Barbie Shero family! The Barbie Shero Program recognizes women who break boundaries to inspire the next generation of girls and I am so excited to join this incredible group of women. I'm proud to know that little girls everywhere can now play with a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab! This is a childhood dream come true 😭💘 #shero

A post shared by Ibtihaj Muhammad (@ibtihajmuhammad) on Nov 13, 2017 at 10:12am PST

Barbie echoed Muhammad's sentiment.

We are so excited to honor @IbtihajMuhammad with a one-of-a-kind #Barbie doll! Ibtihaj continues to inspire women and girls everywhere to break boundaries. 🤺 #Shero #YouCanBeAnything #GlamourWOTY

A post shared by Barbie (@barbie) on Nov 13, 2017 at 9:02am PST

Muhammad's doll is the latest installment to Barbie's commitment to diversity. In early 2017, Barbie rolled out their 'Fashionistas' range featuring dolls with different body types and a selection of skin and eye colours for both Barbie and Ken.

Barbie however isn't the only brand that has recognised toy dolls could do with a little diversifying. Crystal Kaye is the artist who created Kay Customz, a doll brand that creates toys with vitiligo and albanism in a range of different skin colours and hair types. Each of the dolls is porcelain and hand-painted.

A post shared by Kay Customz🖌 (@kaycustoms) on Sep 28, 2017 at 4:54am PDT

A post shared by Kay Customz🖌 (@kaycustoms) on Sep 23, 2017 at 11:00pm PDT

Muhammad's Shero doll will be available for purchase in 2018.

This calls for coffee.

Everyone's favourite fast talking mother-daughter duo and the impossibly charming town they call home might be back to delight us for another season.

"Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino revealed this week that she negotiated the "freedom" to make more episodes despite her recent deal with Amazon. The popular seven-season series and the four-part revival are currently available on rival streaming service Netflix.

Last year's Netflix revival of the television series, which ran from 2000 to 2007, left fans hanging with the surprise announcement from Rory (played by Alexis Bledel) that she was pregnant right before the credits rolled. At the time, Bledel and costar Lauren Graham (who plays Bledel's mother, Lorelai) said the reveal felt more like a cliffhanger than an ending.

Which gave us hope.

But another revival seemed unlikely after Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino signed a multi-year deal with Amazon Studios in September.

This week, Sherman-Palladino gave us all an early Christmas gift by hinting that new episodes are "definitely possible."

"We carved out a little niche for ourselves with Amazon saying that if we ever want to do it, if the girls and us get together and we have a concept that works, then we have the freedom to do it," Sherman-Palladino told RadioTimes.com.

"So it would just have to be the right circumstances, and that we're all sort of in the same drunken mood together to go repaint Stars Hollow again. Because we had to repaint Stars Hollow, and we'll have to repaint it again. But it's definitely possible."

That "drunken mood" isn't so hard to imagine, because it sounds like Sherman-Palladino has become friends with Bledel, Graham, and Kelly Bishop (who plays Lorelai's mother, Emily Gilmore).

"I saw Lauren and Kelly — we had lunch last week. I talked to Alexis the week before," Sherman-Palladino said.

This sounds as promising as Rory's journalism career... err...

Well. It sounds hopeful, anyway. And gives us an excuse to binge watch the show from beginning to end once again.

Not like we needed one.

Also on HuffPost:

The Rajasthan Police has appointed its first transgender constable after state High Court's directive.

Constable Ganga Kumari was appointed as the first transgender woman constable after Justice Dinesh Mehta issued the order.

Ganga Kumari, who hails from Jalore, had filed a petition in the court when she was not given appointment by the Jalore Police Superintendent even after qualifying the examinations.

This is the first time in Rajasthan and third time in India when a transgender woman has been appointed at a government position.