Gujarat villages bar girls from using cell phones

Members of Thakor community from a dozen villages in Banaskantha district in north Gujarat are reported to have passed a resolution prohibiting the unmarried girls in the community from using mobile phones.

The members have also declared that if girls are found violating the resolution their parents will be held responsible and will be fined up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Among the other resolutions passed in the meeting are, abolishing the practice of bringing DJs, bursting firecrackers, horseriding of grooms in weddings. The one-page resolution, that has gone viral in social media, says that if families, where there are disputes between two brothers, will not be invited to community gatherings until they resolve the disputes. "It will be the responsibility of the parents to see that a girl does not do anything to hurt the prestige of the community," the reported resolution states.

These decisions were taken on Sunday during a meeting of Thakor community, at Jegol village in Dantiwada taluka of Banaskantha district. The community falls under Other Backward Caste (OBC).

Sources said that nearly 500 people from the community had participated where they discussed these issues and later passed the resolution. In the meeting, people from 12 nearby villages had participated.

"I don't know if there is any resolution that was passed but yes we did discuss these issues in the meeting. I think some youngsters noted them down and circulated it on social media as a resolution. We know that phones are a nuisance but it is also important for everyone including young girls to remain updated with the world around us. We can't stop them from using it," said Jayantibhai Thakor, a community leader and member of district panchayat who was also present in the meeting.

When contacted, a senior police officer in the district said that no complaint has been filed on this till Tuesday. However, he confirmed that there was a meeting on Sunday.