Meerut murder case BJP leaders allege social media channels trivializing matter demand action

    Meerut (UP), Mar 28 (PTI) BJP leaders in Meerut on Friday strongly condemned the flood of memes and posts on social media regarding the brutal murder of former Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput allegedly by his wife and her lover.
    They have written to Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, demanding a ban on such content.
    Led by former BJP Yuva Morcha national executive member Ankit Chaudhary, party leaders submitted a letter to the Meerut District Magistrate on Friday, requesting the removal of "insensitive memes and posts" circulating on various platforms.
    "... In pursuit of likes and comments, people seem to have lost their humanity. The latest example is the horrifying murder in Meerut's Brahmpuri area, where a wife, along with her lover, dismembered her husband and stuffed his remains in a drum," Chaudhary said.
    "Instead of standing with the grieving family, people are making memes about the crime and sharing them on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. This not only mocks the victim's family but also damages India's cultural image. We demand an immediate ban on social media channels that degrade human sensitivity for online engagement," he wrote.
    The murder of Rajput sent shockwaves across the country. He was allegedly killed by his wife, Muskan Rastogi, and her lover, Sahil Shukla.
    His body was cut into 15 pieces and hidden inside a blue drum filled with cement.     The gruesome crime led to an outpouring of shock and grief, but shortly after, memes referencing the "blue drum" began trending on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, while both accused languish behind bars.
    BJP leaders insist that "strict action" must be taken against social media platforms that exploit such tragedies for engagement, arguing that they tarnish India's reputation and social values.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)