INDIA'S information and broadcasting ministry on Saturday (4) asked social media sites Twitter and YouTube to remove from their platforms the videos of a controversial commercial of a perfume brand which has been accused of “promoting sexual violence against women”.
The ministry wrote to Twitter and YouTube saying the videos were “detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency and morality” and in violation of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code).
“It has come to the notice of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting that an inappropriate and derogatory advertisement of a deodorant is circulating on social media. The Ministry has asked Twitter and YouTube to immediately pull down all instances of this advertisement,” an official spokesperson said.
The ministry, in the letters to Twitter and YouTube, said that the Advertisement Standards Council of India (ASCI) too has found the videos in violation of its guidelines and asked the advertiser to suspend the advertisement on an immediate basis.
A couple of videos of the perfume brand has irked netizens who have slammed it saying the commercials reflected a poor taste.
Social media users have accused the videos of promoting rape culture.
In one of the videos, four men were seen having a talk inside what looks like a beauty section at a store. There is only one bottle left in the shelf and the way the men discussed who among them would take it, a woman customer near them was seen absolutely shocked.
“Hum chaar aur ye ek.. Shot kon lega (We’re four and there’s only left..Who will take the shot?),” the men discussed. Upon hearing their discussion, the woman turns back shocked and angered at them. However, to her surprise, she finds that the men are discussing the perfume.
In the other ad, a couple is shown in the bedroom. Four male friends of the guy enter the room and ask, “Shot mara lagta hai (Seems you have hit a shot)”, to which he responds, “ha mara na (yes, I did)”. In the next scene, a friend says, “Ab humari baari (it’s now our turn), and goes on to pick up a perfume bottle kept aside from the bed in the room, leaving the woman present on the scene in a mixed state of mind.
Security personnel inspect the site in the aftermath of an attack as food stall chairs lie empty in Pahalgam, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Srinagar on April 23, 2025. Indian security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt on April 23, a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists killing 26 people in the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. Getty Images
Tourists visit Betaab Valley in Pahalgam, about 112 km south of Srinagar on June 26, 2025.Getty Images
Pilgrims gather at the Baltal Base Camp near Domel, en route to the sacred Amarnath cave in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on July 29, 2025. The annual Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, proceeds under heightened security following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local pony handler. Security forces have been deployed in large numbers across the pilgrimage route, with checkpoints, surveillance, and restrictions in place to safeguard the thousands of devotees undertaking the arduous journey. The Amarnath Yatra is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimages, drawing worshippers from across India to the high-altitude Himalayan shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Despite the threat of violence and challenging terrain, pilgrims continue their spiritual trek, determined to complete the sacred journey under the shadow of grief and resilience.Getty Images
