Cellphones ‘help women elope’, council rules

AN Indian village has banned women from using cellphones in public in an attempt to restrict their contact with men — and plans hefty fines for violators.

Village elders ruled that women found using cellphones outside their homes would be fined 21 000 rupees (about R4 400) — a sum it would take most rural Indians several months to earn. The ruling was issued on Tuesday in Madora, in the conservative northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Local police chief Arun Kumar Singh said the ban issued by the informal village council, the khap panchayat, was “against the constitution and we will take action”.

The council believes that cellphones are helping unmarried women to elope.

The council also imposed fines on people caught slaughtering cows — illegal in most Indian states — or smuggling liquor. “We do support their measures against illegal activities but won’t allow them to curb the freedom of women,” Singh said.

Khap panchayats are mostly run by male village elders. Although illegal, they have considerable influence in rural north India.

They are known for issuing diktats aimed at upholding the conservative traditions that have long held sway. But they have also been blamed for ordering crimes including the “honour killing” of couples who marry outside caste or religion. — AFP