Baghpat: Khap panchayat declares war on smartphones, shorts, banquet halls

Residents of western Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district are once again weighing tradition against reality after a khap panchayat decided it was time to crack down — on smartphones, shorts, and banquet halls, in roughly that order.

In a Saturday diktat, the panchayat proscribed the use of smartphones by those under 18 and frowned upon minors wearing shorts in public places. It also objected to weddings being held in banquet halls, asserting that marriages should return to villages and homes, where social values are presumably easier to monitor.

On matters of attire, the khap prescribed the kurta-pajama for boys and salwar-kurta for girls, signalling that dress codes, like morality, function best when standardised. While some locals welcomed the decisions, several intellectuals and social activists strongly opposed them.

Historian Amit Rai Jain termed the decisions “Tughlaqi diktats” and pointed out that mobile phones have become a necessity rather than a luxury. Speaking to the PTI, Jain said education, social networking and work are now heavily dependent on mobile phones, making any such ban impractical. He also noted that the authority to frame laws rests with the government and administration, not panchayats.

Deshkhap Mavi’s thambedar Chaudhary Yashpal Singh said he did not oppose the decisions but added that nothing could be imposed forcibly. He stressed the need to counsel children and instil good values, saying cultured children naturally stay away from wrong practices — a process apparently independent of internet access.

The khap’s decisions have also received political backing. Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MP from Baghpat Rajkumar Sangwan and Congress leader Chaudhary Yashpal Singh said preserving social values is the need of the hour. Sangwan said the khap’s views were respectable as they strengthen the community.

Thamba Patti Mehar Deshkhap’s Chaudhary Brijpal Singh and khap leader Subhash Chaudhary said the panchayat would strive to enforce the ban in coordination with village communities. There would also be an attempt, they said, to extend the bans to the rest of Uttar Pradesh through other khaps.

Former Chhaprauli MLA Sahendra Singh Ramala said the foundation of values begins at home, and that if the panchayat had taken such a decision, its members must first set an example themselves. He also stressed the need for balance in mobile phone use, adding that spending time with children and being their friend is equally important.

Earlier, speaking to reporters, Chaudhary Brijpal Singh said boys here wear shorts both at home and outside, suggesting trousers or kurta-pajama instead, which he described as appropriate attire in line with social norms. He said boys go out wearing shorts, in the company of women, and such dressing amounts to “an indecent display” for society. On smartphones, he said they would try to keep children away from them.

Brijpal Singh further alleged that both the use of mobile phones by boys and the wearing of shorts were “a thing of the RSS”, citing its dress code for volunteers. He claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, for a long time, did not hoist the national tricolour at its headquarters, which he described as an insult to the nation.

The controversy mirrors a recent episode in Rajasthan, where a local panchayat directive in parts of Jalore district seeking to restrict mobile phone use by girls triggered public outrage and swift pushback, forcing the community leaders to withdraw the advisory. The Rajasthan government had distanced itself from the move, underscoring once again that social diktats issued by unelected bodies tend to collapse when exposed to public scrutiny.

Khap panchayats are traditional, clan-based community councils found mainly in western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and parts of Rajasthan. In western Uttar Pradesh, they are largely associated with Jat, Gurjar and other agrarian communities and operate at the level of a village, a group of villages, or a clan (gotra). Though not part of the formal legal system, they wield strong social influence in rural areas.

In Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts, khap panchayats have repeatedly drawn controversy for issuing social diktats aimed at regulating children and youth. In 2014, a khap in western UP advised young girls against wearing jeans or “Western clothes”, asking families to ensure traditional dress as it was “necessary to protect” social values.

In April 2015, several khaps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts again came under criticism after meetings where restrictions were proposed on mobile phone use by bachelors, with khap leaders claiming excessive phone use led to “immoral behaviour” — a concern that appears to be periodically refreshed for each new generation of technology.

With PTI inputs