Karnataka MLAs' panel blames mobiles for rape, proposes ban in schools, colleges
Bengaluru: In a controversial recommendation, a committee of the Karnataka Legislature has proposed a ban on mobile phones in schools and colleges as a step to curb incidents like rape.
“Karnataka government should direct the education department to impose a compulsory ban on students in schools and colleges bringing mobile phones,” the Legislature Committee on Women and Child Welfare said.
The single point recommendation in the report of the 23-member committee headed by Shakuntala Shetty, tabled in both the Houses of Karnataka legislature on Friday, is contained under a chapter under the title, “rape/missing cases of women”.
“We have found during our interactions that mobile is the reason behind kidnap and rape among school and college going girls,” Ms Shetty said, defending the panel's controversial findings and recommendations.
She said “When I did go through two or three rape cases of minor girls, what they told me was that they had got a missed call and out of curiosity they wanted to find out about it and it started from there.”
“As we found several such incidents, we decided to recommend a ban on mobiles; it is not necessary for students, so we have mentioned that it should be banned,” she said.
In another recommendation, the committee suggested that seminars and awareness programmes should be conducted in schools and colleges periodically to stop atrocities against women.
The committee has suggested that all police stations should be made women friendly.
In campuses, mobiles shouldnt be allowed: Ananth Kumar on House Panel report on mobiles phones pic.twitter.com/jCGSdWtaAN
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 12, 2014This is weird and laughable-Manish Tewari on Karnataka House Panel linking rising rapes to mobile phones pic.twitter.com/QqMaREKzy2
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 12, 2014