A journalist stumbled upon gangster merchandise from one of the largest home-grown e-commerce platforms, Meesho, and a lesser-known Teeshopper. The sites hosted vendors that are selling gangster Lawrence Bishnoi t-shirts for adults and kids alike. The graphics in the tees also come with the bold text ‘Gangster.’ The portals also platformed t-shirts promoting deceased criminals like Durlabh Kashyap, a native of Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district who openly advertised ‘supari’ in the streets. Referred to as Kohinoor by his gang, Durlabh Kashyap has been glorified through several fan pages on social media and even shorts on YouTube. The massive popularity of gangsters like Durlabh Kashyap and Lawrence Bishnoi can also be attributed to radical Hindutva populism. The RW even equates Lawrence Bishnoi with the likes of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, who was a secular atheist and despised religion and would have disowned these goons. However, quick bucks gotta be made, and content creators know how—fuel hatred until every nook and corner is radicalized!
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
Apart from Lawrence, you can also buy Durlabh Kashyap t-shirts. pic.twitter.com/r3OTOclGot
— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) November 4, 2024
Then there are creators who are making wild desi YouTube movies
And youtube songs imitating gangsters. These videos get millions of views. (More on this later)
— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) November 4, 2024
In this video for @thewire_in, I discuss all this and more about Lawrence, Durlabh, and India’s latest online radicalisation story.https://t.co/y831Q4ncCy https://t.co/e4OBFBwCPc pic.twitter.com/lIUMpZW4V8
— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) November 4, 2024
Reactions poured in with netizens condemning the platforms that are hosting inflammatory merchandise. “What is this nonsense?” a user reacted. Another jibed, “Dhandha mein no compromise; paisa toh paisa hota hai.” “Even Dawood Ibrahim didn’t have this level of popularity,” commented a netizen. Meanwhile, several netizens blamed web series promoting gangster violence and nudity, like Mirzapur.
@Meesho_Official what is this nonsense
— Inaam Shabir (@InaamShabir) November 4, 2024
Good Job Meesho !
Keep it up.
Dhanda mei NO Compromise.
Whether Blood Money or else, Paisa Toh Paisa hota hai
— Vimal Lakhotia 🇮🇳 (@vimallakhotia) November 5, 2024
Even dawood ibrahim didn’t have that level of popularity.
— Sarfaraz Nawaz Hussain 🇮🇳🇵🇹🇿🇦 (@SarfarazNawazH1) November 4, 2024
वेब सीरीज में गैंग स्टार को बढ़ा चढ़ा अच्छा बना कर कौन दिखा रहा है।एक से एक वेब सीरीज आ रही है।इतनी मार काट कमजोर दिल वाला देख भी नहीं सकता। अश्लीलता और नग्नता को कौन परोस रहा है।18+ है पर घर पर आसान उपलब्ध है।बच्चे ये देख रहे हैं इस समाज पर क्या असर होगा।
— Sanjay Sharma (@sanjayetc) November 5, 2024
log hi chutiya hai to kya hoga ..upar se jo movies and webseries bnn rhi ab mirzapur types unhone to aur gangsters ki image ko youth mei chamka dia hai ..
— कलुआ क्रांतिकारी (@kaluaKiKranti) November 4, 2024
See Also: Watch: Karni Sena Announces Rs 1.11 Crore For Lawrence Bishnoi’s Encounter; Organization Warns ‘Kutte Ki Maut Marega’
See Also: Ram Gopal Varma Tweets No Bollywood Stars Match Lawrence Bishnoi’s Good Looks; Internet Says Don’t Glorify Gangsters