Residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district are split over a khap panchayat diktat banning smartphones and half-pants for under-18s and opposing banquet hall weddings. While some leaders support preserving social values, historians and activists have criticised the move as impractical and unconstitutional
A khap panchayat in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, has banned children from using smartphones and wearing half pants in public, urging boys to wear kurta-pyjamas and girls salwar-kurtas. The panchayat also opposed weddings in marriage halls, insisting they be held in villages and homes to preserve family ties.