Why is social media flooded with 'blue drum' memes after Meerut murder?

While many are admiring the creativity of creators, several others have called them out for being 'insensitive' and trivialising the crime

Social media platforms are flooded with memes and posts featuring blue plastic drums following the gruesome murder of 29-year-old Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

 

Rajput was allegedly killed by his wife, Muskan Rastogi, and her lover, Sahil Shukla. His body was dismembered into 15 pieces and hidden in a blue drum filled with cement. The murder shocked the nation—and soon after, memes featuring blue drums started appearing on platforms such as X and Instagram.

 

Some of these posts show men jokingly fearing their partners standing next to a blue drum. While several users have praised the creativity of such content, many others have criticised it as being ‘insensitive’ and trivialising a brutal crime. Others have called for more ethical content creation that does not disrespect the victim or glorify violent acts. 

 

The Saurabh Rajput murder case

 

Saurabh Rajput married Muskan Rastogi in 2016. He later left his job to spend more time with her, a decision that reportedly created friction within his family. The couple moved out of the family home, and Rajput is believed to have been aware of Muskan’s extramarital affair with Sahil Shukla.

 

In 2023, Saurabh rejoined work and travelled to London. He returned on 24 February 2025 for his daughter’s birthday. According to reports, Muskan and Sahil then plotted his murder. He was sedated and later killed, after which his body was chopped into 15 pieces and sealed inside a cement-filled blue drum. The plan was exposed after a foul smell began emanating from the drum.

 

Fallout and reactions

 

According to a report by News18, drum sellers in Meerut have seen a drastic decline in sales, with buyers now associating the blue drum with the gruesome murder. Shopkeepers in the area have reportedly appealed to residents not to let one criminal case affect their purchasing behaviour.

 

In another incident in Meerut, a woman allegedly hit her alcoholic husband with a brick and threatened to cut him into pieces and seal him in a drum, referring directly to the Rajput case. According to the man’s police complaint, the threat followed an altercation over his drinking habit.

 

Spiritual leader Acharya Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham also responded to the incident. Expressing shock, he said such crimes reflect a moral decline in society. “I am relieved that I’m not married—who knows what could have happened,” he remarked.