A village in Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur district has declared itself “free of expletives” and has imposed strict punishments for the use of offensive language. Residents of Bursar village now face a fine of $500 or an hour of community service, such as cleaning village streets, if they are caught using The words are offensive or insulting, news agency PTI reported.
With a population of a few thousand, the village has collectively committed to eliminating verbal abuse from daily life. The decision is driven by community consensus.
What sparked the initiative?
The initiative was led by Ashwin Patel, who returned to Bursar a few months ago after spending nearly 20 years there Mumbai. He noticed that small disputes in the village often turned into larger fights due to abusive language.
To address this problem, he proposed making the village “violation-free” by imposing punishments such as fines and community service. The idea was supported by the Sarpanch and Deputy Sarpanch and led to the launch of the ‘Sanskar Kranti’ campaign.
“We first talked to the panchayat, then we talked to the villagers and then we took this step collectively,” he told PTI. “We have put up signs saying ‘Free from Abuse’ and have also had a letter handed over to each person signed by the panchayat.”
The rules and applicable codes of conduct are explained
A village meeting was held to explain the new rules and penalties to the residents. Everyone was informed of the code of conduct and agreed to follow it.
To implement the rules, monitoring committees have been formed in each department to monitor and take action against those who violate them.
Villagers say the change is already evident. the The use of offensive language has decreased significantly, especially among the younger population who were earlier exposed to such behavior in everyday conversations.
‘ $500 rupees or an hour cleaning
“When we started, we used to be abused, and now we are not abused by anyone. If someone abuses my mother or my sister, they will have to spend money $“Rs 500 or an hour to clean the village,” said a resident.
Another villager told PTI that the shift had a positive impact on both children and parents. She said: “The situation is very good now in our village. The abuse has stopped. The children and parents are happy. Earlier, children were subjected to abuse a lot.”
In 2024, a village in Ahilyanagar district in Maharashtra also banned and imposed a ban on the use of obscene words. $500 fine for violators
