Banaskantha, July 17: In a bizarre move, the members of Thakor community in 12 villages of Dantewada taluka in Gujarat's Banaskantha district have issued a diktat prohibiting mobile phones for the unmarried girls and a resolution banning inter-cast marriages. The diktat was passed "unanimously" on July 14 by the elderly members of the community.

As per the resolution, if there are inter-caste marriages then the families have to pay penalties. If a Thakor community girl falls in love and marries a boy of another community, then the family have to pay Rs 1.5 lakh fine. If a Thakor boy marries another community girl, the fine is Rs 2 Lakh. Gujarat Shocker: Dalit Man Killed by 'Upper Caste' In-Laws Over Inter-Caste Marriage in Presence of Police Escort.

On July 14, a meeting was held in Jegol village, which was attended by nearly 800 Thakor leaders, including mohalla representatives and youths. In the meeting, a nine-point resolution was passed and every community member was ordered to abide by it. The diktat also included that unmarried girls should not have mobile phones and if found parents are held responsible.

Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Ganiben Thakor said she sees nothing wrong in the move to ban cell phones to the girls. They would stay away from social media and technology and spend more time studying, she told media.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2019 08:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).