Haryana panchayat bans girls from wearing jeans, using mobile phones

In yet another instance of a bizarre directive, a panchayat in a village in Haryana has banned girls from wearing jeans and using mobile phones. The directive has been given by the panchayat in Isipur Khedi village in Sonipat in Haryana.

Reacting to the verdict, girls in the village have said that the problem is not with what they wear, but with the mentality of men.

One of the residents said, “This is completely wrong. Problem is in mentality of men, not in the clothes we wear. How can you judge the character of a woman from the clothes she wears?”

However, this is not the first instance when such directive has come from a panchayat. A diktat by a panchayat in Dholpur district in Rajasthan had in July 2017 banned girls from wearing jeans and using mobile phones. The order struck a wrong note with the Rajasthan Women Commission, as the body initiated an inquiry into the matter.

The commission had taken cognisance of media reports that members of Kushwah community had called a panchayat at Baldiyapura village which allegedly asked girls not to wear jeans or use mobile phones as the panchayat claimed that "western culture was adversely affecting the dignity of the community."