Meesho under fire for selling t-shirts with Lawrence Bishnoi's image

A social media post was shared by filmmaker Alishan Jafri, who pointed out a series of t-shirts being sold on the company's platform, featuring Lawrence Bishnoi's images

E-commerce platform Meesho has come under fire for allegedly selling t-shirts featuring the name and image of Lawrence Bishnoi, a Punjab-based criminal with alleged ties to gang violence. The incident came to light after a social media post highlighting the issue went viral on X (formerly Twitter), prompting criticism of the platform for “glorifying violence.”

 

The post was first shared by filmmaker Alishan Jafri, who pointed out a series of t-shirts being sold on Meesho’s platform, featuring Bishnoi’s images. Jafri’s posts indicated that some of the t-shirts were also available in children's sizes, raising concerns about the potential impact of such products on younger audiences.

 

 

Following the incident, when Business Standard visited Meesho’s website, the relevant keywords did not yield any results, suggesting that the platform may have removed the items. However, a Google search led to a Meesho page where the product was marked as "out of stock."

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

 

On the incident, a Meesho 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."

Bishnoi gang's alleged involvement in Baba Siddique’s murder

Bishnoi recently made headlines when his name was linked to the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was shot dead in Mumbai on October 12. Bishnoi, currently lodged in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati jail, is believed to be operating a pan-India gang network with more than 700 members. The gang is alleged to be involved in extortion, contract killings, and other crimes.

 

In mid-October, Bishnoi’s name also surfaced amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, with top Canadian police officials citing the gang’s alleged links with agents of the Indian government.

 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of using diplomatic channels to allegedly target Canada-based Khalistan supporters through organised crime networks, and Bishnoi’s gang was reportedly mentioned in these allegations.

 

(With agency inputs)