In a “Taliban-style” diktat, a caste panchayat in a Chhattisgarh village has ordered the women, young and old, to “cover head to toe” not to arouse sexual desire in men, official reports reaching here on Saturday said.
The Sahu Samaj (a society comprising only people of a particular caste called Sahu) in Pandri Tarai village under Rajnandgaon district issued the diktat at its meeting on Friday asking the women in the village to strictly abide by the dress code announced for them to prevent the men from being “unnecessarily distracted” due to their “provocative attires”.
The khap panchayat has also declared to slap a fine of `501 to the women from the village who violate the aforementioned dress code.
“The women, young and old, are allowed to wear only saris covering head to toe. The panchayat has also declared a set of rules on how to wear the sari to ensure appropriate covering of their body,” the directive issued by the caste panchayat said, according to local woman activist Anita Sahu.
“What is shameful is that the diktat does not spare even the old women.”
“This is not only shocking but also ridiculous. We have taken the matter to the notice of local administration including the police for immediate action,” added Anita Sahu.
The local leader of the Sahu Samaj defended the decision and said it was taken in the interest of “protection of our culture”.