<p>A community panchayat in a village in Dausa district has banned girls from using mobile phones and also forbid them from covering their faces with a scarf when going out.<br /><br />The decision was taken in an all-caste meeting held on Wednesday by the elders of Bhandarej. <br /><br />The decision followed an incident when a girl went missing from the village. <br />Villagers have been demanding that police find the girl, who is untraceable. <br /><br />The panchayat called a meeting of the elders and the decision was unanimous. However they have not announced any punishment for the violators of their decision. </p>.<p>The community panchayat also handed out a three-day ultimatum to police to find the girl, who they belive might have eloped with a boy, a class 10 dropout from another caste.<br />Girls in Rajasthan generally cover their faces with a scarf while driving two wheelers or going out to save themselves from sun burn and dust. <br /><br />However the elders believe girls do this to hide their identity and which allows them to do ‘mischief’. <br /><br />Recently Jaipur police have also issued directives against girls from covering their faces as they said many criminals are aping the move to camouflage their identity. <br /><br />However the diktat has come in for serious criticism from Women’s rights groups.<br />Kavita Srivastava, general secretary of the Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties, Rajasthan has demanded action against the panchayat. <br /><br />She said the government should initiate action against the panchayat for issuing an illegal order. <br /><br />She said only girls were being singled out. </p>.<p>We live in a democratic society and nobody has the right to impose its will on a section of society, she added. <br /><br />Srivastava said a mobile phone is a great help for women in times of a crisis situation.<br />Chairperson of the Rajasthan state women’s commission Laad Kumari Jain said such diktats are not only blatantly illegal but reek of a Talibani streak in the society. She said the commission will take appropriate action after enquiry. <br /><br /></p>
<p>A community panchayat in a village in Dausa district has banned girls from using mobile phones and also forbid them from covering their faces with a scarf when going out.<br /><br />The decision was taken in an all-caste meeting held on Wednesday by the elders of Bhandarej. <br /><br />The decision followed an incident when a girl went missing from the village. <br />Villagers have been demanding that police find the girl, who is untraceable. <br /><br />The panchayat called a meeting of the elders and the decision was unanimous. However they have not announced any punishment for the violators of their decision. </p>.<p>The community panchayat also handed out a three-day ultimatum to police to find the girl, who they belive might have eloped with a boy, a class 10 dropout from another caste.<br />Girls in Rajasthan generally cover their faces with a scarf while driving two wheelers or going out to save themselves from sun burn and dust. <br /><br />However the elders believe girls do this to hide their identity and which allows them to do ‘mischief’. <br /><br />Recently Jaipur police have also issued directives against girls from covering their faces as they said many criminals are aping the move to camouflage their identity. <br /><br />However the diktat has come in for serious criticism from Women’s rights groups.<br />Kavita Srivastava, general secretary of the Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties, Rajasthan has demanded action against the panchayat. <br /><br />She said the government should initiate action against the panchayat for issuing an illegal order. <br /><br />She said only girls were being singled out. </p>.<p>We live in a democratic society and nobody has the right to impose its will on a section of society, she added. <br /><br />Srivastava said a mobile phone is a great help for women in times of a crisis situation.<br />Chairperson of the Rajasthan state women’s commission Laad Kumari Jain said such diktats are not only blatantly illegal but reek of a Talibani streak in the society. She said the commission will take appropriate action after enquiry. <br /><br /></p>