Indian village bans cell phones for unwed women

Satish Tyagi of the Lank village council says it was
decided Wednesday that unmarried boys, however, can use mobile phones, but only
under parental supervision. Local women's rights group criticized the measure
as backward and unfair.
yagi says the council fears young men and women are
secretly arranging marriages forbidden under Hindu customs, such as marrying
someone from the same clan — an act that can provoke extreme community
punishments like honor killings. Police say 34 couples eloped last month in
Muzaffarnagar district, where Lank is located in Uttar Pradesh state.
The
elopements led to eight honor killings.