Karnataka women tear down gutkha ads from state buses in anti-tobacco ad drive
India Today
Women in Karnataka tore down gutkha advertisements from public buses as a part of the anti-tobacco ad drive. Users showed growing public concern over surrogate tobacco advertising and its health impact.
A social media clip showing women in Karnataka tearing down gutkha and tobacco-linked advertisements pasted on public buses has gone viral, marking an addition to a growing grassroots movement against surrogate tobacco advertising in the state.
The video, shared on X by the handle @Khurpenchinfa, showed women actively pulling down large promotional posters from the sides of state transport buses. The caption on the post read, “Glad that women joined this trend. In Karnataka Women started tearing down ghutka ads on busses. Very nice.”
The protest is linked to a wider backlash in Karnataka against advertisements on buses that campaigners said indirectly promoted gutkha and other harmful tobacco products via surrogate branding.
Videos of activists - initially mostly young men - removing such ads from Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses first went viral in January, triggering debates online about public health and corporate responsibility.
Public anger over these ads had been building against the backdrop of tobacco-related health concerns. Bloomberg and health advocates have pointed out that direct and indirect promotion of tobacco products, including through “elaichi” or pan masala imagery, was controversial and often criticised for circumventing legal advertising bans.
The involvement of women in the recent videos adds a new dimension to the movement, signalling broader community engagement alongside earlier youth-led protests. In some cases, activists have targeted buses at major stops, unwrapping and pulling off posters that critics argue normalise tobacco consumption.
Ashu Ghai recreated the striking scene from Dhurandhar 2, where Ranveer Singh is introduced as Jaskirat Singh Rangi amid a cascade of fiery sparks.
Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir said Shias who "love Iran so much" should "go to Iran". His remarks triggered a row with prominent Shia clerics of Pakistan accusing Munir of insulting the community and the military establishment of serving America and Israel as a "servant".
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US may need to intensify strikes on Iran to end the conflict. This came soon after Trump threatened to hit Iran's energy plants amid soaring oil prices and Strait of Hormuz tensions.
The scooter rider rode into the pedestrian zone, collided with the car, and fell down. The man driving the car, however, did not react with anger and handled the situation with composure.
A minute-long ATC recording lays bare the confusion and urgency before a runway collision in New York. Controllers issued frantic warnings as a plane struck a vehicle, forcing a complete airport shutdown.
Tucker Carlson says he might cry listening to him. Millions call him a prophet. But who exactly is "Professor Jiang" — and what is he not telling you?
In a symbolic act of wartime messaging, Iran placed stickers carrying anti-war remarks by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on ballistic missiles bound for Israel as the Middle East conflict enters it fourth week.
The announcement was made a day after North Korea convened the first session of its Supreme People's Assembly. The assembly, the isolated nation's rubber-stamp legislature, formally approves state policy.
Indian Railway staff's swift action turned a medical emergency involving a toddler into relief aboard a train from Bengaluru to Gujarat.
Leon Panetta said Iran war was not an unexpected risk. He pointed out that for years, US security officials have known Iran could disrupt global oil supplies by blocking the Strait of Hormuz. According to him, this was a well-known danger, but one that appears to have been overlooked in the current conflict.
Sri Lanka raised fuel prices by about 25% for the second time in a week as the Gulf conflict disrupts global oil supplies via the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has warned it is ready to respond. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that if Iran's infrastructure is targeted, then key facilities across the region could be "irreversibly destroyed."