Northern India state bans single girls for using mobile phones

Northern India state bans single girls for using mobile phones

2010-11-25 00:25:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- A caste council in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh has banned single girls from using mobile phones, local media reported on Wednesday, in an effort to prevent marriages between castes.

"All parents were told to ensure their unmarried daughters do not use cellphones. The boys can do so but only under their parents’ monitoring," a spokesperson for the council told the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper.

The decision came after more than 20 couples got married against their parents' wishes. "The [assembly] was convinced that the couples planned their elopement over their cellphones," said Jatin Raghuvanshi, a local elder.

The couples married ran away to avoid being forcibly separated, or worse, to avert "honor killings".

Local media, quoting a police officer, said three girls aged between 17 and 22 were tortured and killed by their parents and brothers last week "to protect their honor."

Caste councils, illegal under modern law but often obeyed, forbid marriage between men and women from the same village and across castes.

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