UP panchayat restricts movement of women

In a bid to prevent molestation of women, a panchayat in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district, about 500 km from here, has imposed severe restrictions on their movement.

It also announced a fine of Rs 5,000 for flouting the directive. The panchayat at Jharawan village on Friday directed the women of the village not to go to fields and the neighbouring Kalsi village. “The directive will be strictly implemented,” said Chaudhary Fakharuddin, who was present at the panchayat.

He said the decision was taken to safeguard the women of the village, who were allegedly subjected to molestation by the youth of Kalsi village. “We have been receiving reports that many women from our village are being molested in the fields and other such places by the youth of the neighbouring village,” he remarked.

“Elders of every family have been asked to make sure that the decision is complied with,” he said.

Some people said a few youths of Kalsi were caught trying to sexually harass the women.
But, they were let off after a warning. “We did not want to foment tension between the two villages,” Fakharuddin said. “The decision will not only prevent the molestation of the women of our village, but also help reduce tension,” he added.

Kalsi was a Hindu-dominated village while Jharawan had a dominant Muslim population. The recent incidents could have taken a communal turn.