According to law enforcement officials, it is alleged that Ram was forced to consume acid and subsequently strangled in a domestic dispute. His parents, Babubhai and Manishaben, have been named as the primary suspects in this case. This shift in narrative from suicide to alleged murder has raised several questions surrounding the family dynamics.

The police disclosed that initial efforts to portray the death as a suicide were apparent. These included attempts to accelerate a panel post-mortem at Gondal Civil Hospital, which were allegedly facilitated through local connections. However, as the investigation unfolded, new evidence began to emerge, leading officers to suspect foul play in the death of the young man.

Domestic Tensions Reportedly Escalate

Investigators have highlighted that longstanding familial tensions reportedly related to Ram’s alcohol dependency may have contributed to the tragic events on the day of his death. On that day, an argument reportedly escalated to violence, during which Ram’s mother allegedly forced him to ingest acid. His father is then claimed to have assaulted and strangled him during the confrontation.

Police further noted that Ram’s alcohol issues had been a continuous source of conflict within the household. The situation reportedly reached a tipping point, culminating in the tragic incident that led to his death. Both parents are alleged to have played a significant role in the violent altercation.

These developments have raised awareness of domestic violence dynamics, especially in familial contexts, prompting broader discussions among community members about the challenges families may face when dealing with substance-related issues.

Wife’s Complaint Leads to Arrest of Parents

A crucial turning point in the investigation was marked by a complaint filed by Ram’s wife, Banshi, who had been married to him for just four months. She expressed concerns surrounding the circumstances that led to his death, prompting local police to take action. Following her report, the police registered a formal case, leading to the arrest of both Babubhai and Manishaben.

Banshi’s allegations have spurred the authorities to examine the case closely, as it was initially misrepresented as a suicide. The investigation into the events surrounding Ram’s death has since intensified. Law enforcement is now working to establish a comprehensive understanding of the circumstances that culminated in this tragic incident.

The ongoing investigations are expected to involve meticulous scrutiny of evidence and testimonies from those who knew the family. Authorities aim to uncover the truth behind the facade of a suicide and reveal the actual circumstances leading to Ram’s death. The case continues to develop, and updates are anticipated as investigations proceed further.

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Reasons Behind Parental Engagement

Experts attribute this emerging trend to an unpredictable job market characterized by layoffs, the impact of automation, and escalating living costs. For many young professionals, landing a first job has evolved from a mere trial experience to a decision with long-lasting implications. Career coaches suggest that parents now perceive early career choices as significantly impactful. With a dwindling number of entry-level roles and heightened competition, families feel motivated to intervene to mitigate potential risks. This has redefined job searching as a collective endeavor, particularly for households where parents possess prior experience with corporate processes and hiring conventions.

Support or Overreach?

While some view parental involvement as excessive, hiring professionals contend that it often signifies heightened anxiety rather than a lack of competence. Gen Z candidates have entered the workforce during times of economic turbulence, creating an environment where career paths appear less predictable. HR leaders affirm that many young candidates are skilled and well-prepared, but the fear of rejection or missteps leads them to seek reassurance from their parents, who serve as their primary support system. This assistance is frequently manifested in behind-the-scenes guidance, including resume evaluations, interview preparation, and advice on job offers.

Boundaries of Parental Involvement from Employers’ Perspective

Recruiters tend to exercise caution regarding parental involvement, especially when it becomes overt. While assistance such as resume feedback or practice interviews is generally acceptable, direct communication from parents is often viewed unfavorably. HR professionals emphasize that hiring is also an evaluation of a candidate’s independence and judgment. When a parent advocates for a candidate, it may raise concerns about the candidate’s ability to function autonomously in the workplace. Experts warn that excessive parental intervention could hinder the development of crucial workplace skills, including self-advocacy and decision-making.

Parental Influence in the Indian Context

In India, the impact of parents on early career decisions has traditionally been a cultural expectation, albeit often expressed differently. There is a lack of official data documenting direct parental involvement in interviews or communication with recruiters. However, career coaches and recruiters acknowledge that familial influence is prevalent, primarily through indirect channels. Parents often guide decisions regarding preferred industries, job locations, salary expectations, and perceptions of stability, particularly among first-time job seekers from middle-class backgrounds. Direct engagement with recruiters or participation in interviews is uncommon and usually discouraged, with a senior HR leader stating that parents typically guide decisions away from the interview setting. When families do intervene directly, it may be detrimental to the candidate’s prospects.

Impact of Parental Support on Career Development

The long-term effects of parental involvement hinge on established boundaries. Experts suggest that constructive participation can enhance confidence and readiness, whereas over-involvement might restrict personal growth. Support that equips young professionals to manage conversations independently is empowering, whereas excessively stepping in can eliminate vital learning experiences for candidates.

Evolving Hiring Standards and Future Perspectives

As hiring practices continue to evolve, so too does the definition of professionalism. Employers are increasingly placing value on attributes like adaptability, communication, and ownership, skills that cannot be delegated, even with the best intentions. The rising trend of parental involvement in Gen Z’s job searches is indicative not of entitlement but rather of a response to uncertainty. This phenomenon captures a generation entering the workforce under significant pressure, navigating their career paths in a challenging economic landscape, often with familial support more present than ever.

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Tickets Denied: How His Parents Were Turned Away

Akshay explained that the situation stemmed from local customs that prioritized entry based on a first-come, first-served basis, rather than strictly adhering to ticket allocations. His parents arrived at the auditorium only to find it completely filled. When they presented their tickets, they were informed that entry was no longer permitted. The incident left Kumar feeling embarrassed as he unsuccessfully searched for his parents in the audience.

‘First-Come, First-Served’: The Rule That Cost Them Entry

Describing the circumstances in his own words, Akshay stated, “I told them to watch from the back, but they said they wanted to sit in the front. Then I gave them the ticket. In Punjab, it works on a first-come, first-served basis. The ticket doesn’t mean much. By the time they arrived, the place was full. They showed the ticket, but were told they couldn’t go inside.” This experience emphasized to him the challenges he faced as an up-and-coming performer.

A Painful Misunderstanding With Security

The situation was further complicated when security personnel misinterpreted Akshay’s father’s attempts to communicate his relationship to the performer, mistakenly assuming he was intoxicated. This misunderstanding contributed to the decision to deny entry to his parents. Akshay noted that during that period, mobile phones were not widely available, leaving his parents with no means to contact him during the event.

Dancing Without Knowing They Had Left

“I was dancing and couldn’t see them anywhere,” Akshay remarked. The absence of his parents during a pivotal moment in his early career left a significant impression on him. Following the performance, he discovered that his parents had left the venue and returned home without witnessing his debut on stage.

As of now, Akshay Kumar is actively engaged in both television and film projects, with titles such as Bhooth Bangla and Haiwaan in the pipeline. His return to television is viewed as part of his ongoing commitment to connect with a diverse audience while reflecting on the experiences that have significantly shaped his career in the entertainment industry.

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A resounding 86% of HR leaders believe childcare benefits are critical for attracting top talent. This signals a clear path for employers: build support systems that reflect the realities of working families and drive engagement-led business value.

The triple win: Driving engagement, performance, and growth

Employees who feel secure in their caregiving responsibilities bring sharper focus and greater energy to their roles. For businesses, this translates into higher retention and stronger commitment across teams.
A lever for engagement & retention

Engagement thrives when employees feel supported in the moments that matter most. For working parents, reliable childcare solutions are a powerful expression of that support. A recent report shows that 85% of HR leaders have seen lower turnover where childcare benefits are in place. The connection is clear: when people feel that their organization values their life beyond the workplace, they stay committed to contributing their best.

Recent workplace research further reinforces this trend, noting that employees aged 25 to 44 are increasingly seeking stronger parental and childcare support as they balance careers with family responsibilities. This insight highlights how employee benefits strategy must evolve with employees’ life stages to sustain engagement and retention.

Childcare support also plays a key role in advancing gender inclusion. The World Economic Forum’s 2025 report notes that women’s estimated earned income parity in India has reached 29.9%. Progress like this gains momentum when organizations make it easier for parents, especially women, to continue growing in their careers. Childcare support helps retain skilled talent and strengthens leadership pipelines furthering the business’s collective capability.

The link between feeling valued and high performance

A workplace culture that prioritizes well-being naturally inspires higher performance. Employees deliver their best when they feel recognized as individuals with full lives beyond their roles. A Mercer study found that 58% of employees feel cared for when their organization offers benefits that help them balance work and family. That feeling of care translates into measurable outcomes — greater focus, stronger engagement, and higher productivity.

Childcare benefits are a practical way to demonstrate this care. They help employees stay focused, knowing that their families are supported. This confidence builds a sense of partnership between people and the organization, driving sustained performance over time.

Fueling diversity and economic growth

Access to childcare directly influences workforce participation. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 44.5% of women outside the labor force cite childcare responsibilities as the primary reason to be unable to work. Expanding childcare access can bring millions of skilled professionals back into the economy, creating a measurable impact for both businesses and society.

The economic situation is equally compelling. CNBC (2024) highlights that to achieve India’s $30 trillion GDP goal by 2047, the country will need to integrate 145 million women into its workforce. Organizations that enable parents to remain active contributors are supporting this national ambition while strengthening their own growth potential. Each step toward inclusive childcare access builds a more diverse, resilient, and future-ready workforce.

Modernizing benefits for a flexible world

The needs of working parents are changing rapidly. With hybrid and distributed work models becoming standard, traditional childcare approaches often fall short. Employees expect flexibility, transparency, and choice. At the same time, businesses need reliable systems that maintain compliance.

Modern solutions are bridging that gap. Digital benefits platforms allow organizations to offer childcare support that is both flexible and compliant. Employees can access verified childcare providers, manage reimbursements digitally, and choose the options that fit their circumstances.

Some key elements of this approach include:

Digital childcare platforms for approved childcare expenses
Systemic verification and reimbursement systems
Customizable benefits tailored to different employee needs and geographies

For HR teams, these tools simplify administration and compliance management. Centralized tracking and reporting enhance accountability, while freeing teams from manual oversight. It’s a smarter, more efficient way to deliver a benefit that truly matters.

The way forward

Childcare support is now a defining feature of an engaged and inclusive workplace. Organizations that integrate it into their people strategy signal a deep commitment to their workforce and to sustainable growth. The next step is to strengthen this commitment with technology-driven flexibility — enabling employees to access benefits that fit their lives, and businesses to manage them with clarity and compliance.

Investing in modern childcare solutions builds stronger employer brands, attracts diverse talent, and reinforces a culture of trust. When working parents succeed, the organization succeeds with them. Prioritizing their needs creates a workforce that is not only more engaged, but also more capable of leading the future of work.

Disclaimer: Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Author of the above article Ketika Kapoor is the co-founder and CEO of ProEves, a company that provides childcare and parental support services by aggregating daycare and preschools in India. She co-founded the company with the goal of helping working parents and mothers find reliable childcare after experiencing this challenge herself. In September 2025, Pluxee signed an agreement to acquire ProEves.

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 As a result of which, they have also become easy targets for cybercrime. Be it cyberbullying, sexting, accessing personal information, identity theft, sharing virus or malware children are the prime targets of online predators.

Excess web exposure impacts creativity and imagination

Sharing his opinion on the same, Professor of Sociology Dr. Pinaki Roy told The CSR Journal, “Children today are exposed to a plethora of information through computers and smartphones. Parental control over what children are exposed to is much needed as it has implications for what kind of a human being they would become. While children today are smarter in that they assimilate and synthesis diverse information, rampant exposure to the web world has multiple risks. It not only endangers children psychologically, it significantly lessens creativity and imagination.

If processing and reproducing diverse information is a key marker of intelligence and future prospects of children these days, of course via exposure to social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, other learning apps, then we are probably going to witness an epoch where children would cease to paint and write poetry, listen to music, appreciate novels and films, becoming wretched replicas of their standardized others – dull, hollow and unappealing.”

Even a 2-year-old has access to smartphone

Kolkata-based school teacher Madhuchhanda Bhattacharya speaks on similar lines while discussing the need to monitor children’s online behaviour. She said, “It’s a common thing these days that children have access to gadgets like smartphone and tablets. I have seen kids as little as 2.5 years accessing the same, who do not even know how to read or write. A lot of children these days are addicted to the screen and to the internet. The addiction is so much that if denied access to the phone, the child becomes stubborn, starts crying and throwing tantrums. Some kids even refuse to eat food if they are not given a mobile phone during the meal. It is a major responsibility of the parent to limit their child’s screen time in the first place.”

Internet addiction makes child lazy, stubborn

“Mobile phone addiction and easy access to Google search make the child lazy. Even 20 years ago children used to multiply 17*17 mentally or learn tables but today’s kids just Google the answer. They are getting readymade essays and letters online so they are not learning how to think and write a paragraph or construct a sentence or do calculations mentally. Talking about reels, the child is learning rude behaviour and abusive language by watching these, which is getting reflected in their behaviour. This is because the child cannot differentiate between what is right and what is wrong,” Ms Bhattacharya added.

Why parents are also at fault

Hence, parents should monitor what content the child is watching online. Even if a child is accessing notes or homework given from school online, this also should be done in the presence of any of the parents or any other family members and strictly not alone. Some parents are also at fault because they try to keep the child occupied by giving access to smartphones and tablets. Following which, the child opens various kinds of websites or apps often unknowingly, which are not meant for them,” she further said.

Kids fall prey to cyberbullying and pornography

“Kids these days are way more tech-savvy and overexposed to the online world. Moreover, with Covid-19, academics had to be shifted from school classrooms to mobile phone or laptop screens. As a mother of a 3-year-old, I think the onus is on us to monitor our children’s online activities. More often than not, children fall prey to cyberbullying and get addicted to pornography and malicious video games, which pose a threat to their cognitive development and behaviour.

However, through proper monitoring, we as parents can channel their online activities to something that’s creative, educative and transformative,” expressed Sreeparna Dutta, mother of a 3-year-old daughter.

Internet access never when child is alone

Mumbai based Sanju Sharma, who has a teenager son and a 12-year-old daughter feels children should access the internet, for whatever reason it maybe, only in the presence of parents so that they are aware of what the child is accessing online.

Sanju said, “In today’s internet era, everyone is influenced by it and children use it the most. In such a situation, it is the responsibility of every parent to monitor what children are doing on the internet. Nowadays, internet has become a major medium of imparting education and source of acquiring knowledge apart from books even in schools.”

“Children access e-books and notes from the web and attend virtual classes. Hence it is not advisable to keep children away from the internet but it is definitely the job of the parents to keep the child’s online activities under control. Parents should know what the child is watching on the internet, which games they are playing and if the content is having any effect on his/her behaviour and personality. It must be ensured that the child does not use the internet alone but in the presence of family members at home,” she added.

Content with emotional arousal harmful

Clinical Psychologist Kirti Shah, who is the Director at Little Pods, a Mumbai-based organisation for Children and Adults with Special Needs feels access to content which are not meant for children negatively affects their personality development.

Kirti said, “I feel these days online or on social media or the OTT content available, there is so much of emotional arousal in those content in terms of also the amount of negativity or the different personalities that they are showing to grab the audience’s attention. Certain things are shown with a great deal of effects especially to attract attention of children and minors. In the process, it becomes really difficult for parents to understand which character or which part of the digital exposure that the child is getting is influencing or motivating his or her personality.

Web exposure affects personality development

Pre-adulthood is an age when the personality is formed. A lot of factors influence this process including individuals that we see around us. If that tender age, if the child or teenager is exposed to content which is not meant for this age, then that certainly affects the personality development process. I feel prevention is always better than cure and it is the parents’ responsibility to check that there is no initial damage done at all. Hence, monitoring their kid’s online activities is necessary for every parent.”

Ahana Bhattacharya can be reached at ahana@thecsrjournal.in

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Unfortunately, some talent managers are now thinking twice before hiring women employees because it means they have to pay for a resource who may go on leave for 26 weeks. They are also not eager to set up childcare infrastructure which may or may not be used by the employees.

The government could have given employers the space to come up with a plan that works best for their employees. For instance, there are companies that are located far away from residential neighbourhoods. Parents are often averse to the idea of bringing their children to work if there’s a long daily commute involved. For some companies, the issue is also the male-female ratio. Even if they have a significant number of employees, some of their centres may have a larger number of women than men. A childcare/crèche facility may be desirable in one company location and not in the other.

The cost of setting up crèches or sending employees on 26 weeks of paid leave is now to be borne by the company. The government could perhaps consider providing incentives such as tax breaks to parents, following the SODEXO model which has worked out quite well. It could also consider providing tax exemptions and subsidies for employees who are new parents. What the government did with CSR initiatives—making them tax-free and hence attractive to socially responsive companies—could also be emulated in the case of the Maternity Bill.

According to a Bloomberg report published in 2016:

“India’s female workforce participation rates peaked at 37 percent in 2005 and fell to 27 percent as of 2014, according to data from the World Bank. The U.S. rate declined from 58 percent to 56 percent during the period, the data show.”

Another report by Bloomberg-Quint cites the following statistics:

“Only 23.7 percent of eligible Indian women are part of the workforce. Compare that to 75 percent of men.
In urban areas, this number drops further to only 16 percent. For men, the comparable number is 69 percent.
Even for those women who are part of the workforce, the unemployment rate is high. 8.7 percent compared to 4 percent for men.“

It will take a more concerted and sustained effort to improve these numbers.

It is not enough to force the Maternity Bill upon employers. It is also important to create a work culture that encourages better gender-sensitivity, safer modes of transport for women, street lighting and overall awareness. Some MNCs and tech companies have also started programmes such as “bring your mother-in-law to work” and “take your child to work” days to help key family members understand the importance of the work that most women do.

It’s also important that employees and parents understand how the Bill may have encouraged fly-by-night operators who wish to make the most of this scramble to provide childcare support for women employees. They need to exercise caution before signing up with a service provider that does not comply with industry standards of quality and qualifications of the staff. The Maternity Bill can only succeed if all stakeholders take a more calibrated approach towards implementing it.

(HuffingtonPost)

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