Finally, it is the turn of men to face a code of conduct from the panchayat.
A panchayat held in Haibatpur village in Muzaffarnagar district on Saturday declared that men up to 30 years of age would not be allowed to hang around unnecessarily at road crossings and public places. Boys below 18 years of age if found smoking or chewing tobacco will be punished. The elderly have also been “advised” not to use hookah.
Naresh Kumar, a senior member of the panchayat, said that boys and men hanging around at public places without any work mostly indulge in eve-teasing and create nuisance.
“We have also barred boys from using bike and mobiles, except in case of emergency, because after getting these things they do not concentrate on studies and other household work,” he said.
The panchayat further decided that people demanding dowry would be banished from the community and has suggested that groom should not be accompanied by more than 11 people in the wedding procession so that the financial burden on bride’s family can be cut down.
The panchayat was attended by members from 35 villages in the district.
Expectedly, the women in these villages have welcomed the panchayat decision and have expressed the hope that the new code would make the men behave in a respectful and decent manner with the women. “The society is patriarchal and unless the men change for the better, the society will not change,” said Kulwanti Devi, 65, a homemaker.