Kshatriya Panchayat imposes dress code in UP

Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh), March 10 (IANS) A Kshatriya Panchayat at the Peepalshah village in Muzaffarnagar district has banned young boys and men from wearing half pants and shorts.Girls have been banned from wearing skirts and jeans.The Panchayat has said that those who defy the ban will face social boycott.Members of the Kshatriya community from more than a dozen villages participated in the Panchayat that was held on Tuesday evening.Thakur Puran Singh, who presided over the Panchayat, said that when tradition and culture are destroyed, the society also gets destroyed."You do not need guns to destroy a culture. Deviating from a tradition will destroy the culture on its own. From today, no young boy or man should be seen wearing half pants or shorts. If anyone flouts the Panchayat's diktat, he will have to face punishment from the Panchayat," he said.Thakur Puran Singh said that while it was good that girls were opting for higher education, they should take care to dress as per tradition.The Panchayat also stated that consumption of liquor should be avoided during the upcoming Panchayat elections. The Panchayat also opposed reservation of seats in the Panchayat polls.
--IANS amita/dpb