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DMRC withdraws Delhi Metro breast cancer advertisement after online backlash
Delhi Metro, in a statement, said the advertisement was only displayed in one metro train, and was immediately removed for being inappropriate.
After receiving a massive flak, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced that it has removed a breast cancer awareness advertisement from Metro trains because it was not in “good taste”. The advertisement in question was to raise awareness about breast cancer, with the text “check your oranges” printed on the bottom of the poster.
Issuing a statement over the issue on Thursday, the DMRC said, “This is in reference to the photograph of an advertisement on Breast Cancer Awareness, which was installed inside a Delhi Metro train. DMRC authorities found the content inappropriate and immediately took serious cognizance of the matter.”
The corporation said the controversial advertisement was only found to be displayed inside one train and was removed around 7:45pm on Wednesday, October 23.
“DMRC always strives to be sensitive to public sentiments and doesn’t encourage any sort of campaign/activity/display advertising which is not in good taste or in defiance of prevalent guidelines of advertising in public places. The Delhi Metro will endeavor to ensure that such incidents of inappropriate advertising don’t take place in its premises,” it said.
The breast cancer awareness ad was a part of the campaign run by cricketer Yuvraj Singh's NGO YouWeCan Foundation, and was criticised by the public for referring to breasts as “oranges.”
One of the poster urged women to “check their oranges” once a month, with the intention of raising awareness for early detection of breast cancer. The poster shows a young woman standing in a bus, holding two oranges, while several older women are seated. One of the elderly women has a crate of oranges with her.
Another breast cancer awareness message by YouWeCan Foundation, posted inside the Yellow Line of Delhi metro, read, “Have you checked your oranges lately?”
Calling the ad “shameful and embarassing”, a social media user posted on X, “How will a country raise Breast Cancer Awareness is we can’t even call breasts what they are. Saw this at Delhi Metro and like what the hell? Check your oranges? Who makes these campaigns, who approves them? Are we governed by such dumb people that they let this poster become public?”
