Panchayat mandates dress code for minors

A village panchayat in Rajasthan has banned the use of mobile phones for minor girls and  issued a dress code for them. The girls have been directed to cover their heads when stepping out of home.

According to reports, the restrictions were imposed by a panchayat of Kishorpura Village near Udaipurwati town of Jhunjhunu district, as “mobile phones were spoiling girls and  were a distraction.”

The village panchayat has reportedly ordered minor boys to refrain from playing music on their mobile phones.

"The panchayat recently held a meeting in which village elders was of the view that  cell phones were spoiling their girls," Kishorpura sarpanch Bimla Meena said. Panchayat members was also decided that girls should cover their heads before venturing out of their homes “as per the traditional practice”.

The panchayat has not spelled out the punishment if their orders are violated.
Notably, a majority of the villagers were in agreement with the panchayat’s dress code diktat.

In July, a panchayat of Asara village in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district had issued similar orders, banning girls from using mobile phones and stepping out of their houses without male escort.

In a similar verdict, a hitherto unknown militant group in Jammu and Kashmir sounded a warning to Kashmiri girls that if they don’t observe the “purdah” (veil) system and shun mobile phones, “they will be killed or disfigured by acid.”