Village bans mobile phones from unmarried women

Unmarried women in a village in western India have been banned from using mobile phones, Hindustan Times reported.


Under an order issued on February 12 by the panchayat, or government, of Suraj village, unmarried women using or possessing a mobile phone will be fined 2,100 Indian rupees (31 U.S. dollars). The informer gets 200 rupees (3 dollars) as reward. Suraj is located some 100 km from Gujarat state’s financial capital of Ahmedabad.

However, if a relative wants to talk to a girl, her parents can pass on their phone for conversation.


Village head Devshi Vankar said cell phones are not a need for unmarried women.

“Internet is a waste of time and money for a middle-class community like us. Girls should better utilize their time for study and other works,” he said, adding that the entire population of his village, comprising various castes, “welcomed the decision.”

The mobile phone ban comes following a drive to combat alcohol addiction mainly by men in the Thakor community, reports Xinhua.

As the drive progressed earlier this year, the community issued rules and regulations surrounding women, as community leaders felt that just like liquor, the use of cell phones by unmarried women had created a nuisance in society.

“Alcohol consumption by men and cell phone use by women create a lot of disturbances in society. Young girls get misguided. It can break families and ruin relationships,” said Raikarnji Thakor, a community leader.