In an apparently knee-jerk reaction to curb crimes against women in the wake of the Delhi gang rape, a Muslim community panchayat in Rajasthan has issued a diktat banning girls from using mobile phones and singing and dancing at weddings. The Anjuman Muslim Panchayat of Salumber town in Udaipur district, about 450 km south of Jaipur, has imposed the ‘fatwa’ on its members.

“Mobiles are spoiling girls,” panchayat secretary Habib-ur Rahman has told reporters. He said the decision was taken to ensure the safety of girls.

A cross-section of women denounced the edict. Advocate Rizvana Rizvi on Thursday said, “I am completely against this fatwa. Why should restrictions not apply to boys?”