ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

No, Myntra Didn't Create This Controversial Graphic Depicting Hindu Gods

The graphic was created by ScrollDroll in 2016, who took it down after drawing flak online and issued an apology.

Published
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large

A controversial graphic depicting a scene from Mahabharata is being shared on social media with a claim that e-commerce website Myntra insulted Indian deities.

The graphic depicts Draupadi's vastraharan scene from Mahabharata and shows Lord Krishna using a smartphone and shopping for 'extra long sarees' on e-commerce website Myntra. Following the outrage, #BoycottMyntra became one of the top trends on Twitter with over 12,000 tweets on Monday, 23 August.

However, we found that the graphic is an old one and was created by a youth-oriented website ScrollDroll in 2016 and not Myntra.

Even back then, social media users had called on to boycott Myntra and the fashion e-retailer had clarified that they had no connection to the graphic.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

CLAIM

The graphic was widely shared on social media as users called it 'insulting' and 'anti-Hindu', resharing it accompanied by the hashtag 'BoycottMyntra'.

The image was posted to an Instagram page called 'HindutvaOutLoud' and screenshots of this post went viral across platforms.

Other recent posts calling for the e-commerce platforms boycott over the graphic on Twitter can be seen here, here, and here, while those on Facebook can be accessed here and here.

Social media users had previously demanded Myntra's boycott in 2016 when the graphic had first gone viral. Archives for posts from 2016 can be seen here and here.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

We ran a reverse image search on the controversial graphic and came across news reports from 26 August 2016 that carried it.

The report regarding the image by India Today noted that the graphic was created by ScrollDroll, a publication popular for 'interesting graphic cards' in February 2016.

The graphic was a part of a series titled 'Indian mythology meets today's digital technology', which imagined characters from Hindu mythology using smartphone applications like Myntra, Uber, Zomato, and Tinder.

It further said that ScrollDroll had owned up to creating the graphic as Myntra faced public furore.

Looking through the publication's social media handles, we found ScrollDroll's tweet from 2016, taking up responsibility for the graphic while absolving Myntra.

The viral graphic also carries ScrollDroll's watermark on the top-left corner and has the publication's web address at the bottom-right section.

Myntra had also retweeted ScrollDroll, informing people that they had nothing to do with the graphic and did not endorse it.

The company's verified Twitter account added that they would pursue legal action against the publication and that ScrollDroll had since taken down the controversial graphic.

Evidently, e-commerce brand Myntra has nothing to do with the old graphic, which was created by ScrollDroll in 2016, which had led to netizens demanding Myntra's boycott even then, causing the publication to consequently take it down from all its social media pages.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
×
×