FIR registered against e-commerce sites for selling Lawrence Bishnoi T-shirts
What's the story
The Cyber Cell of Maharashtra Police has taken legal action against several e-commerce platforms for selling T-shirts glorifying notorious gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Dawood Ibrahim.
An FIR was filed after merchandise promoting these criminal figures was found on online marketplaces.
The probe was initiated after reports of T-shirts idolizing criminals being sold online spread.
Online marketplaces
E-commerce giants involved in controversy
The platforms in question are Flipkart, AliExpress, TeeShopper, and Etsy. The sites were discovered selling T-shirts with images and slogans glamorizing Bishnoi and Ibrahim.
Bishnoi is currently behind bars and linked to the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala and Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, while Ibrahim is wanted for terrorism-related activities.
More recently, Bishnoi's gang has been regularly targeting Bollywood star Salman Khan.
The merchandise has sparked concerns over its possible influence on youth.
Law enforcement
Legal action under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, IT Act
The Maharashtra Cyber Department has highlighted the danger of such products, which propagate a skewed image of criminals.
They said idolizing these personalities could affect young minds negatively by normalizing illegal activities.
The FIR was registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, emphasizing the gravity of this matter.
Public outrage
Meesho faces backlash for glorifying gangster
Earlier, e-commerce platform Meesho was publicly slammed for listing T-shirts with Bishnoi's face with tags such as "hero" and "gangster."
The controversy was triggered by filmmaker Alishan Jafri's posts on X (formerly Twitter) bringing attention to the listings.
Following the outrage, Meesho delisted the product and reiterated its commitment to a safe shopping environment.