Rihanna’s topless photo with Hindu god Ganesha sparks fresh outrage in India amid farmers’ protests
- The lingerie photo shoot features Rihanna topless with a pendant of Ganesha around her neck
- It comes just weeks after she upset the Indian government by commenting on huge farmers’ protests that pose a major challenge to New Delhi
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Images of the lingerie photo shoot come just weeks after she upset the Indian government by commenting on huge farmers’ protests that pose a major challenge to New Delhi.
The latest offending tweet to the superstar’s more than 100 million Twitter followers is part of promotions for Rihanna’s lingerie line Savage X Fenty.
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The photo was also shared on her Instagram account, which has 91.4 million followers.
Social media users and politicians in India on Wednesday said her post was “derogatory”, accusing her of disrespecting Hindu gods and hurting local sentiment.
“It’s appalling to see how @Rihanna shamefully mocks our beloved Hindu God #Ganesha,” tweeted Ram Kadam, a state legislator from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party.
“This exposes how #Rihanna has no idea or respect for Indian culture, tradition and our issues here,” he added.
The right-wing World Hindu Council said it had filed police complaints against Facebook and Twitter for hosting the picture and demanded action against Rihanna’s social media accounts.
Critics say Hindu nationalism has been on the rise in officially secular India under Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Since November, tens of thousands of farmers have camped outside the capital and blocked highways to protest new agricultural reform laws they say will devastate their incomes.
Earlier this month tweets from Rihanna and other celebrities on protests in India by farmers against new agriculture laws attracted international attention and sparked anger at India’s foreign ministry, which called their comments “sensationalist”.
