Extreme decision of village Panchayat holds girl’s freedom

In an extremely shocking decision by the panchayat of Madora village in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district, girls have been told that they would not be allowed to use mobile phones outside their house.

The panchayat has also announced that as they support Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's campaign against cow slaughter, a penalty of Rs 2.5 lakh will be imposed on those found guilty.

The decision was announced on Wednesday, May 3, by former village pradhan Mohammed Gaffar. "We are not stopping them from using mobile phones. They can do so in their houses, but not outside," Gaffar said.

The decision was taken by the panchayat as they feel that talking on mobile phones on the road leads to crimes against women and also encourages elopement. The panchayat members have also announced that they will impose a fine of Rs 21,000 if are girls caught using mobile phones.

Apart from the fine, the panchayat will also determine the extent of punishment.

On Tuesday, the panchayat had also announced that a hefty penalty of Rs 2.5 lakh will be imposed on anyone found indulging in cow slaughter. Gaffar had said that the Muslim community supports Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his campaign against cow slaughter.

"We, too, respect the cow and will not allow its killing. Those who provide information about cow slaughter will get Rs 51,000," Gaffar had said.

"We will also socially boycott them. In case a person is not able to pay the fine, the money will be recovered from his property," he added.

The village panchayat has also announced that those found selling liquor will also have to pay a heavy fine of Rs 1.11 lakh.

But such ban is nothing new in Uttar Pradesh. In 2014, the panchayat of the Gujjar community in Jadwad village had imposed a ban on women wearing jeans and even playing disc jockey during wedding functions.