With smartphones in almost everyone's pockets and purses, people have the ability to take selfies whenever they want to, wherever they are.
In a process that should only take a few seconds, anyone can snap a shot to remember for a lifetime, or for the whole internet to enjoy with them.
And this district in India is not liking that.
Dang, which is located at the district at Gujarat, is considered as one of the most economically distressed district out of 640 districts in India, with 98% of the population belonging to one of the scheduled tribes. But with that, many of its places are still preserving its nature appeal.
And this attracts tourists, who just love to take selfies.
Because of this, Dang becomes the first district in India to ban selfies.
According to the National Library of Medicine database, India was responsible for half of the deaths caused by accidents during selfies between 2011 and 2017. And the officials at Gujarat and Dang are not taking their chances.
Selfies have become an increasingly normal activity, but also a fatal nuisance.
In order to take the perfect selfie, some people can go to great length, to even forget their safety.
Some may scale buildings, pester with wild animals, and more, in activities that can risk their lives, all for the sake of a selfie. In their attempt to capture the most ideal frame, people have pulled hilarious, irrational or even life-threatening gimmicks.
And India has its own share of selfie problems. For example, there was an incident, when a Japanese tourist passed away while taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal.
Then there was the time when a visitor fell down the stairs of the Royal Gate and suffered multiple head injuries.
Another case was when a 20-year-old who fell to his death from the top of the Reasi Fort while attempting to take a selfie.
Later, a number of major tourist attractions in India began to forbid selfies.
But Dang here becomes the first district to have a law to forbid selfies. What this means, selfies are considered a criminal offense.
The law is meant to empower law enforcement agencies to take action against those found behaving irresponsibly.
According to a public notification issued on June 23, the district administration has prohibited selfies at tourist spots to prevent accidents.
The administration said that the prohibition shouldn't be limited to just places of tourist interest, but also at places like roads, cliffs, waterfalls, and rivers.
“With the start of the monsoon, there has been a huge influx of tourists in Dang. While enjoying nature, many acts irresponsibly by taking selfies which lead to accidents that could prove fatal. The notification has been issued to prevent such incidents,” said an order undersigned by additional district magistrate TK Damor.
“Considering such risky behavior, prohibitory orders have been issued for the entire district,” Damor added.
Although the rule is to ensure everyone's safety, many criticized the decision on the grounds that it doesn't make sense to penalize people for a photo with friends.
While it does make sense to ban tourists to take selfies, but lots of people consider the move as bizarre, simply because the prohibition covers the whole district.
