Haryana village panchayat bans jeans, mobiles for girls

A village in the heart of khap-dominated Haryana "believes" it has found the answer to girls eloping with boys.

The culprit is the smartphone, it has inferred.

Jeans is equally to share the blame, which is why this village with a population of over 5,000 has banned mobile phones and jeans for all girls residing in the settlement.

Ishapur Kheri village in Rohtak district is firmly backing this diktat of sorts.

It is even mulling on ways to ensure that girls do not violate the ban on wearing jeans or mobile phones.

Sex skewed Haryana has often been in news for its absurd diktats, including one that intended to establish a correlation between eating chow mein and high incidents of rape.

Marriages within the same gotra are banned in villages dominated by khap panchayats. Honour killings, too, have often put the state in bad light.

Interestingly, this particular diktat to ban jeans and mobile phones for girls is not applicable for boys.

Village headman Prem Singh maintains that the decision was deemed "appropriate" after a few girls of the village, all college students, eloped with boys some time ago.

He feels the incident has brought shame to the village.

The panchayat based its decision on the "logic" that had it not been for communication over a mobile phone, the girls would not have eloped.

The ban on jeans exclusively for girls comes after the panchayat felt that such modern attire attracts the attention of others, which can be avoided.

Sources said the decision is now being communicated aggressively in the village through various modes, including broadcast through loudspeakers.

There has also been some dissent to the diktat. One of the members of the panchayat has quit his post reportedly in protest against the move.