BBC News
By Geeta Pandey
image captionNeha Paswan liked to wear modern outfits
Reports of girls and young women being brutally assaulted by family members have recently made headlines in India. The incidents have also put the spotlight on how unsafe girls and women are within their own homes.
Last week, 17-year-old Neha Paswan was allegedly beaten to death by members of her extended family in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh because they didn t like her wearing jeans.
Her mother, Shakuntala Devi Paswan, told BBC Hindi that the teenager had been severely beaten with sticks by her grandfather and uncles after an argument over her clothes at their home in Savreji Kharg village in Deoria district, one of the least developed regions in the state.
BBC News
By Geeta Pandey
image captionMandira Bedi performed husband Raj Kaushal s funeral rites
Indian actress and TV presenter Mandira Bedi recently hit the headlines for performing her husband s last rites. Cremations are traditionally done by men, and women are often discouraged from even attending. But where does this belief come from and what do Hindu scriptures say about it?
With a clay pot containing holy water in one hand and holding up the bier - a bamboo frame - carrying the body of Raj Kaushal with another, Bedi wept as she did the rituals and lit his funeral pyre.
India Covid-19: AI shows Pakistani Twitter prayed for neighbour
By Geeta Pandey
image copyrightGetty Images
It is perhaps not surprising that the fractious relationship between historic adversaries India and Pakistan has spilled over into social media in recent years.
But at the end of April, as India struggled with a ferocious second wave of Covid-19, citizens on either side of the border shelved their barbs in favour of supportive hashtags like #IndiaNeedsOxygen and #PakistanStandsWithIndia.
Experts say it is well known that supportive hashtags do not always mean positive tweets - users often hijack them for anything from trolling to wishing happy birthday to a cricketer or Bollywood star.
BBC News
By Geeta Pandey
image captionNatasha Narwal (L) and Devangana Kalita were released on bail
When student activists Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal walked out of Delhi s Tihar jail recently, it was obvious their 13-month stint in prison had failed to dim their morale.
With wide smiles and fists raised in defiance, the founders of Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage) were welcomed by friends and family with cheers and chants.
Two weeks since their release on bail, they tell the BBC that they are still adjusting to this new reality and their fight to make the world a better, more inclusive place will continue.