There is a very slight chance that anyone using a smartphone may not have come across a Tik Tok video showing a young netizen lip-syncing to a song. Launched in 2016 and originally called Musically, TikTok is one of the most popular apps today. Last year, it was also one of the most downloaded apps on Google Play and Apple Store.

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Tik Tok allows users to create short videos and which can be synced with an sound clip – users usually prefer to use a song, movie dialogue, or a politician’s speech, whichever gets them more views. The platform’s popularity can also be gauged by the fact that videos by its users can also be found on other social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.

Now to our shock A 28-year-old man was allegedly killed by his friend for uploading a casteist TikTok video that the duo had made. The video, that had targeted an oppressed community, had caused unrest among members of the community in the village of Thalambedu at Tiruvallur.

A police officer said Venkataram, 31 and his friend Shiva, 29, both daily labourers, belong to a dominant community. They recently made a TikTok video depicting the other community in bad light.

A few days later, Shiva allegedly uploaded the video to social networking sites and it went viral. A few people, belonging to the oppressed community in the same village, staged a protest in front of Venkataram’s house and lodged a police complaint, calling for action against the duo. Meanwhile, Venkataram’s family informed him that the police were looking for him.

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Realising they might end up behind bars, the duo went into hiding. In an effort to draw them out, police detained Venkatram’s father for questioning. This irked Venkatram who became angry at Shiva for uploading the video. He allegedly struck an inebriated Shiva with a blunt instrument, killing him. He then surrendered at the Tiruttani police station, where he was booked under Section 302 (murder) of IPC. Further investigations are on.

Recently a youth who is 18 year old died while doing Tik Tok in running bike. Earlier on 10th of February A 19-year-old painter was arrested by the police for creating a fun video clip on the ‘TikTok’ app showing him walking outside a police station. The video went viral. Recently

On January 25, 2019 Two men were arrested from Salem for shooting a similar video using a police jeep where as on January 13, 2019 Four men were arrested from Virudhunagar for making a video outside a police station.

Tamil Nadu Information Technology Minister M Manikandan recently said in the state Assembly that the Tamil Nadu government will approach the Centre to ban the mobile app, TikTok. This comes after Nagapattinam MLA Thamimun Ansari from the AIADMK raised the issue and said that the app is “damaging” to the Indian culture. Manikandan further added that Tamil Nadu will appeal for a ban on TikTok the same way the the Blue Whale challenge was “tackled”.

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Nagapattinam MLA Thamimun Ansari told The Indian Express that he raised the issue after many parents and activists approached him telling that the Tik Tok is leading to a “serious crisis in culture.”