Khap panchayat bans jeans for women, shorts for men

Lucknow, Mar 10: A khap panchayat in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district has barred women from wearing jeans and men from wearing shorts, saying they are part of western culture and that people should wear traditional Indian clothes.

The Rajput community panchayat also warned that those found violating the diktat will be punished and face boycott.

The panchayat was convened on March 2 in Pipalshah village under Charthawal police station.

Announcing the panchayat's decision, community leader and Kisan Sangh chief Thakur Puran Singh said it was decided to bar women from wearing jeans and men from wearing shorts.

He said these clothes are part of the western culture.

"We should wear our traditional clothes such as sarees, 'ghagra' and 'salwar-kameez'," he said.

Those found violating the order will be punished and boycotted from the community, Singh said.

The khap panchayat also protested the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to grant reservation to Scheduled Castes (SC) and backward classes in the upcoming panchayat polls.

Singh said the panchayat expressed concern over the decision and condemned it.

The state government issued its reservation policy for panchayat polls last month. According to the policy, seats will be reserved for SCs, backward classes and women in the elections.