E-retailer Meesho sparked outrage after selling t-shirts with the image of gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and late Durlabh Kashyap.
The incident came to light when journalist Alishan Jafri posted screenshots from Meesho and less-known e-commerce platforms such as Teleshopper, where t-shirts with the images of the gangsters are sold.
Lawrence Bishnoi recently hit the headlines after it was revealed that his gang was allegedly behind the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Bandra last month. His gang has also threatened to kill Salman Khan over the 1998 poaching case in which he was accused of hunting two blackbucks. Blackbucks are considered sacred by the Bishnoi community.
Durlabh Kashyap, a gangster who was based in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, was murdered in December 2023.
Pointing out that gangster merchandise are being sold on platforms like @Meesho_Official and Teeshopper, Jaffri said it was just one example of online radicalisation in the country.
The journalist said he had been following gangster fan groups on social media for much of October.
He pointed out that online influencers are promoting gang content and glorifying gangsters to make some quick buck.
Following this, netizens slammed Meesho with one of them saying "boycott Meesho" while another posted, "Shame on you, Meesho". A third user said,"Even Dawood Ibrahim didn't have that level of popularity."
Yet another user said, "Shortly a movie will also be made". One user said, "Shame on Meesho and similar websites. Shame!"