Popular e-commerce platform Meesho has come under scrutiny for selling t-shirts branded with the likeness of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The issue was highlighted by filmmaker Alishan Jafri, who called it an example of “India's latest online radicalisation.”
Jafri shared a post on X that shows Lawrence Bishnoi t-shirts being sold on Meesho, an online marketplace that facilitates trade between vendors and customers. The white t-shirts come printed with Lawrence Bishnoi’s picture, with some including the word “gangster.” They retail for as low as ₹168 on Meesho and other platforms like Flipkart.

While the t-shirts have come under fire for glorifying crime, even more concerning is the fact that some of the branded merchandise is targeted towards children.

“People are literally selling gangster merchandise on platforms like Meesho and Teeshopper. This is just one example of India's latest online radicalisation,” 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.

The filmmaker highlighted the issues with glorifying gangsters by providing real-life examples - like that of the 15-year-old from Deoria who, inspired by gangster content, killed his friend.