|
Young women in a village in India have been banned from wearing jeans and T-shirts because elders say they encourage rape. Lawmakers in Khedar, in the Hisar region of northwest India, implemented the ban as part of a raft of measures designed to reduce sex attacks in the area. Alcohol has also been outlawed while throwing a 'DJ party' will now carry a fine of 11,000 rupees (£125). Khedar village patriarch Sarpanch Shamsher Singh told the Times of India: 'We have decided to ban alcohol as it is the main reason behind rapes. We have also banned jeans and T-shirts for girl students as it is not a proper dress.' But while the decree may prove unpopular among young people in the town, it has been welcomed by older members of the village. Shanti Devi, a middle-aged woman present at the panchayat, said: 'The decision of the panchayat is good and will check the harassment of girls. Poor dressing is the main reason behind rapes.' Meanwhile, a judge today ordered the trial of the five men accused of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in Delhi be held 'in-camera' for the suspects' own safety after chaotic courtroom scenes. More than 150 people tried to cram into a courtroom meant to fit just 30 people for the first hearing of the men charged with the abduction, gang rape and murder of Jyoti Singh Pandey. The 23-year-old physiotherapy student died in a Singapore hospital 13 days after being attacked as she made her way home from the cinema in New Delhi. | 
