Norway newspaper sparks row with cartoon of PM Modi as snake charmer

Norway's largest newspaper published a cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a snake charmer.

Amid the row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi allegedly avoiding a question from a Norwegian journalist about human rights and press freedom in India, a Norwegian newspaper published a controversial cartoon depicting the Prime Minister as a snake charmer, triggering accusations of racism and perpetuating stereotypes.

The illustration on Aftenposten showed him holding what appeared to be a fuel-station pipe shaped like a snake, alongside an opinion article reportedly titled "A clever and slightly annoying man".

The cartoon triggered massive outrage, with many on the internet calling it blatantly racist and rooted in old colonial stereotypes that portrayed India as a land of "snake charmers". Many slammed the newspaper arguing that the imagery was xenophobic and disrespectful to India and its elected leader.

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