Case against online marketplaces for selling apparel idiolising Bishnoi, Dawood

Maharashtra police’s cyber wing has registered a case against some online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms for selling T-shirts glorifying gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, officials said on Thursday.

The products, which idolise criminal figures, pose a significant risk to the society by promoting a distorted image (of values) which could influence young minds negatively, an official said.

During the online vigil by cyber security officials, it was found that several e-commerce platforms, including Flipkart, AliExpress, and marketplaces like TeeShopper and Etsy, had been selling T-shirts that glorify gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi and Dawood Ibrahim, the official said.

The Maharashtra Cyber in a release said it considers this as material harmful, as it attempts to corrupt values of the youth by using seemingly casual apparel to spread messages that glorify criminal lifestyles.

Taking serious cognisance of the matter, the Maharashtra Cyber has registered a case against the sellers responsible for the listing of these objectionable products under various Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections, including 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 196 (promoting enmity between different groups) and 353 (public mischief) and provisions of the Information Technology Act, the release said.