Flipkart, Meesho sell Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi T-shirts

The merchandise that is being sold includes the items marketed for children as well.

The issue surfaced when filmmaker Alishan Jafri shared screenshots of these products on X, describing it as a troubling example of "India’s online radicalization."

"People are literally selling gangster merchandise on platforms like Meesho and Teeshopper. This is just one example of India's latest online radicalization," Jafri wrote on X.

“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,” he added.

Among the images that he shared on social media, included white T-shirts with the photo of Lawrence Bishnoi on them. Some t-shirts had words like, 'Gangster' and 'The Real Hero' printed on them. These merchandise were sold for as little as Rs 168.

People are literally selling gangster merchandise on platforms like @Meesho_Official and Teeshopper. This is just one example of India's latest online radicalisation.
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1/n pic.twitter.com/vzjXM360q3

— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) November 4, 2024

The filmmaker pointed out the dangers of glorifying gangsters, citing real-life examples such as a 15-year-old from Deoria who, influenced by gangster content, killed his friend.

Due to a strong backlash on social media, Meesho deactivated such products and said they were not available for sale on its platform.

A Meesho spokesperson told a media organization, "We have taken immediate action to deactivate the products. Meesho remains committed to providing a safe and trusted shopping platform for all our users."

Similar products featuring Lawrence Bishnoi's image were found on Flipkart, with T-shirts selling for ₹249 on the e-commerce platform. Some designs displayed the same image of Bishnoi dressed in an orange T-shirt and black hoodie.