New Delhi: An e-commerce website has sparked controversy for selling T-shirts printed with the picture and name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in a Gujarat jail. The T-shirts are being reportedly sold on e-commerce platform ‘Meesho’.
The e-commerce has been selling the T-shirts with the gangster’s image that reads also “Gangster.”
Another T-shirt has shown the gangster in a student profile from his college days when he was associated with SOPU, a student organization. So far, no formal police complaint has been filed in connection with the matter.
T-shirts removed from the platform after backlash
Now, the latest media reports suggest that the platform has removed the T-shirts after massive backlash and issued a statement in this regard.
The matter was brought to the fore by filmmaker and journalist Alishan Jafri. Writing on the social media platform X, Jafri called it an example of ‘India’s latest online radicalisation.’
People are literally selling gangster merchandise on platforms like @Meesho_Official and Teeshopper. This is just one example of India’s latest online radicalisation.
Thread
1/n pic.twitter.com/vzjXM360q3— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) November 4, 2024
Branded merchandise targets children
Alishan further posted on X, “For much of October, I was following India’s online gangster fan groups. 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 and glorifying gangsters.”
The T-shirts are being for Rs 168 in retail on Meesho. What is more disturbing is that the e-commerce platform have targeted children for selling their merchandise. In one of the e-commerce portal, a child is shown wearing the “Lawrence Bishnoi T-Shirt’.
What Meesho says on the issue
A Meesho spokesperson has told Hindustan Times that they have withdrawn the product from their site. The e-commerce platform representative further told the publication that “the company remains committed to providing a safe and trusted shopping platform for all our users.”
