China takes down 'racist' video after backlash: 'They are very much mocking India'

A Chinese government ministry has reportedly taken down a controversial online video post that showed an Indian song being sung by people in brownface.

The ministry of public security (MPS) removed the video, which is created by popular influencer Hao Ge Ge and featured men in turbans and women in brownface and south or central Asian costumes singing the hit Indian number "Tunak Tunak Tun" by Daler Mehendi with Chinese lyrics.

It had been shared under the official account of MPS to promote road safety.

The Bureau of Public Order, a branch of the MPS, shared the video on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform like Twitter, last week. While it was widely like in China, the video received a major backlash outside the country for the use of brownface, considered a racist caricature like blackface.

"Reminder from the police: You should fasten your seat belt even when you are sitting at the back of a car. Always remember when you ride a motorbike, don't hit the road without a helmet!" the post said.

Aadil Brar, an Indian journalist for ThePrintIndia and based in Taiwan, said on Twitter, "They are very much mocking India, Bollywood and Indians".

He also confirmed that the Chinese ministry deleted the video.

Some Chinese commentators also warned of a possible backlash over the video with one saying it would "definitely cause trouble" if put up in India, the BBC reported.

The news outlet also said that other lower-level Chinese police agencies shared the video on Weibo as well, but those, along with the original, were no longer seen on their feeds.

This has not happened in China for the first time.

In 2018, a Chinese actress caused a widespread outrage after appearing in blackface with exaggerated buttocks on China's biggest Lunar New Year TV show.

Last year, an official of the country's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that Beijing had zero tolerance for racism and would strongly deal with videos that are racially discrimination after a Chinese filmmaker used Malawian children to film personalised greetings, some of which featured racist content.