UP Khap Bans The Use of Mobiles For Minor Girls

A ‘precautionary measure’ has been undertaken by a khap panchayat in Etah district, Uttar Pradesh to stop sexual abuse perpetrated on females. How? By banning the use of mobile phones for girls below 18 years of age.

These devices are corrupting the young girls as being told by Ramsewak Pehalwan, a representative member of Lodhi Rajput community to The Times of India.

image source: anokhimedia.com

A video showing a 15-year old girl being forced to strip by her school director was widely circulated on WhatsApp. This resulted in the “unanimous decision” of the community and it was declared at a gathering of over 4,000 people. The Sri Krishna Higher Secondary School director, Jitendar Singh Yadav was arrested and charged with criminal intimidation and of rape. Yadav leaked an explicit video of his student after her refusal to get physical. he did this in order to teach her and his other female students a lesson.

Pehlewan also said iin his interview with TOI that “Our girls are often trapped and exploited by men from a particular community which has the backing of a powerful political party in the state”.

However that must be taken in account is, the ban is only on the girls, not boys. Thus, to some extent even the community and the Khap Panchayat still hold females as guilty and it’s because of their provocation that males get excited, may be something like that ban on jeans or like holding chowmein to be the reason. It’s not males who are at fault but excessive knowledge of females and their ‘inviting’ lifestyle but I wonder was that year old baby or that 70-year old lady were using WhatsApp, eating chowmein and wearing such clothes.