Village bans listening to music on mobile phones... On pain of being hit with a shoe



Banned: Young people spotted listening to music via their mobiles will be fined and hit with a shoe five times

The ‘Talibani’ village panchayats in Uttar Pradesh are getting bolder by the day and issuing ludicrous diktats in the name of dealing with ‘social ills’.



In the latest ‘fatwa’, the panchayat of Ghatampur village in Saharanpur district has decreed that any youth — male or female — spotted listening to music on the mobile phone would be hit with a shoe five times and will

also have to pay a fine of `1,500 to the panchayat. The punishment

would be doubled for repeating the “crime”.



Mohammad Ayub, the sarpanch of the Muslim-dominated village, confirmed that the decision was taken at a meeting held at a local mosque

on Monday evening. He claimed it was to “prevent our children from listening to vulgar music” aired by private radio stations.

“While listening to vulgar music on the mobile phone, they not only ignore traffic but also learn many bad things which are dished out by private radio stations.

“ These radio stations also help boys and girls in getting connected. We have every right to protect our children from such a culture,” Ayub said.



The panchayat’s diktats are not restricted to music only.



“Obscene MMS on mobile phones is another immoral act which we want to prevent. We have also banned drinking and smoking in the village. Our

daughters and women of the village have been asked to stop going to shops alone.



“We have formed a committee of 12 village elders to ensure that the orders are followed meticulously and a penalty is imposed on those who violate them,” the sarpanch said.



The panchayat’s decision has the villagers’ support. “There was not a single villager who opposed the decision. Even girls are supporting us. Maybe some boys are annoyed, but we will teach them to follow the panchayat’s orders,” Mohammad Salim, a villager, said.



In a message to the administration to stay off the matter, he said: “It is our internal matter and we hope that the administration will respect our sentiment.”

