A village in Uttar Pradesh has decided to impose hefty fines on girls using mobile phones on streets, which they believe will curb crime rates.
The panchayat of Madora village in Mathura district feels that crime against girls will increase if they are seen using their mobile phones while walking the streets.
According to them, it also increases chances of elopement and hence, girls who are found using mobile phones will be fined Rs 21,000, says a New Indian Express report.
Millions of rural women are not allowed to use mobile phones because their parents and husbands have said no to the device. Village panchayats have issued diktats forbidding women from owning the device, which they believe would cause they to go “wayward”. Some villages give concession to married women to own cellphone, but are allowed to use them only indoors and in the presence of a relative.
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Villages are rankled by the collapse -- aided by cellphones -- of social barriers separating man and woman. Reports of phone stalking also give them a reason to clamp down on girls enjoying access to cellphones. The bar on cellphones is also a means to preserve caste hierarchy and prevent elopement.
