The self-styled social reformers of Sunderbadi village panchayat in Kochadham block of Kishanganj district issued the orders on Sunday, banning women from using mobiles, a district official said. “The villagers have issued an order to impose a fine of Rs.10,000 if a girl is found using a mobile phone, while a married woman will have to pay a fine of Rs.2,000 if found talking on a mobile outside her house,” the official said. It is the first time that any panchayat has issued such a diktat. “There is no precedent to such an order issued by a Bihar village panchayat,” the official said. Not only phones the panchayat has also ordered women not bathe at the road side. “The decision was taken in a meeting attended by panchayat members and village elders,” Mohammad Manzoor Alam, who presided over the meeting, told IANS today. Elder people in the village are favouring the ban.
