印度北方邦的一個地區議會近日發布公告，禁止該地區未婚女性攜帶手機，希望此舉能夠阻止當地不同種姓間的男女交往過密甚至私奔。據悉，該地區去年有至少23對青年男女離家出走，違背父母意愿在外完婚，而地區議會認為他們主要是通過手機進行聯絡的。此次發布的公告要求父母全面禁止家中未婚的女孩子使用手機，男孩則要在父母監控下使用手機。傳統的印度社會有嚴格的種姓群族等級區分，不同種姓之間不得來往，更加不得聯姻。有些落后地區的家庭甚至不惜奪去跨種姓相愛戀人的性命來維護家族的名譽。

A local council in northern India has banned unmarried women from carrying mobile telephones to halt a series of illicit romances between partners from different castes, media reports said Wednesday.

A local council in northern India has banned unmarried women from carrying mobile telephones to halt a series of illicit romances between partners from different castes, media reports said Wednesday.

The Baliyan council in Uttar Pradesh state decided to act after at least 23 young couples ran away and got married over the last year against their parents' wishes.

"The panchayat (assembly) was convinced that the couples planned their elopement over their cell phones," village elder Jatin Raghuvanshi told the Calcutta Telegraph.

The rules of inter-caste marriages are complicated and extremely rigid in many rural communities in India, with some lovers even murdered in "honour killings" by relatives trying to protect their family's reputation.

"All parents were told to ensure their unmarried daughters do not use cell phones. The boys can do so, but only under their parents' monitoring," said Satish Tyagi, a spokesman for the village assembly.

Caste discrimination is banned in India but still pervades many aspects of daily life, especially outside the cities.

Traditional Hindu society breaks down into brahmins (priests and scholars), kshatriya (soldiers), vaishya (merchants) and shudra (labourers). Below the caste system are the Dalits, formerly known as "Untouchables".

Caste categories often determine Indians' life prospects, and conservative families will only marry within their own caste sub-division.

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(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）