Working women of Haridwar village face panchayat's wrath

Working women of a village in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district have come under the wrath of a local panchayat which issued a diktat prohibiting them from pursuing jobs.
     
The panchayat of village Sarai also imposed a penalty of Rs5,100 if anybody violated its order, besides four lashes in public as punishment.
     
Taking a serious note of the matter, Uttarakhand Women's Commission has directed the district magistrate and senior superintendent of police to initiate action against the culprits.
     
Sushila Balooni, president of the commission, said she learnt about the panchayat's diktat through media reports. "I have asked district authorities to take immediate action on this," she said.
     
According to the reports, she said, about 60 women from the village work in various industrial units in Sidcul in Haridwar.
     
The panchayat's direction came on Wednesday, Balooni said, adding police forces have been rushed to the village to maintain law and order there.