Meesho under fire for selling gangster t-shirts featuring Lawrence Bishnoi
E-commerce platform Meesho has faced criticism for selling t-shirts with notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's face on them. Filmmaker-journalist Alishan Jafri highlighted the issue, calling it an example of "India's latest online radicalization." The t-shirts were also listed on other platforms such as Flipkart, where they were priced at ₹168.
Jafri raises concerns over glorification of criminal figures
Jafri was worried about the sale of clothes with Bishnoi's face, even with the word "gangster" on some. He said this adds to the glorification of criminals. He also mentioned that some products appeared to be aimed at kids, raising concerns about influencing young minds. "At a time when the police and NIA are struggling to stop youths from joining gang crime, social media influencers are making quick money by promoting gang content...glorifying gangsters," Jafri wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Public backlash and Meesho's response to the controversy
After Jafri's post, the public backlash was immediate with many slamming Meesho for hosting such merchandise. Some users were disappointed, saying Meesho should be "de-platformed" for promoting criminals. Others cautioned that promoting gangster culture could hurt Indian society. Addressing the criticism, Meesho took down the controversial t-shirts from its platform. A spokesperson said, "We have taken immediate action to deactivate the products.Meesho remains committed to providing a safe and trusted shopping platform for all our users."
