Women Don’t Need Mobile Phones: UP, Gujarat Village Heads

Villages in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have banned mobile phones for girls.

Why should mobile phones cause any disturbance for women? (Photo: iStockPhoto, altered by The Quint)

Why do girls need cell phones? – is a question a village sarpanch asked in a diktat while banning mobile phones for unmarried women in a village in Gujarat. The village where the ruling was carried out belongs to Mehsana, which is also coincidentally the native place of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Any woman found violating this rule will be fined Rs 2,100 and any informer playing a catalyst in trapping the defaulter will get Rs 200 as a reward.

Why do girls need cell phones? The internet is a waste of time and money for a middle-class community like us. Girls should utilise their time studying and doing other work.

<b>Devshi Vankar, Sarpanch, Suraj Village</b>

However, if a relative wishes to have a conversation with a girl, the parents can transfer their phone for it.

The powerful community of the Thakors, who implemented this ban had earlier banned alcohol for men.

Alcohol consumption by men and cell phone use by women create a lot of disturbance in society. Young girls get misguided. It can break families and ruin relationships.

<b>Raikarnji Thakor, Community Leader from North Gujarat</b>

After the Gujarat village, a panchayat in Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) did the same on Saturday.

If anybody is seen selling alcohol or if any girl is seen using a mobile phone, then the defaulter will be given strict physical punishment for eight days straight.

<b>Ramvir Singh, Aligarh Village Resident</b>