CHANDIGARH/MEERUT: A Canadian rapper's floor-scorching track with the catchline, 'Kiki do you love me', has cops in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh sending out worried tweets and advisories. The number, which has gathered nearly 82 million views on YouTube, has prompted a potentially dangerous social media dance challenge which requires the performer to shake and shimmy beside a moving car and then jump back into it.
In a cheeky play on the lyrics, UP police tweeted on Monday, "Dear Parents, whether Kiki loves your child or not, we are sure you do! So please stand by your kids in all the challenges in life except #kikichallenge.
Chandigarh traffic police, in association with Radio Mirchi, has also issued a traffic advisory on the dare. So did Mumbai police last week. "Desist from public nuisance or face the music!," it tweeted.
Cops in Spain, the USA, Malaysia and the UAE have also alerted people to the dangers of the challenge.
Kiki do you love me is the refrain of a wildly popular number, "In my feelings". The song is written by Drake, a 31-year-old Toronto-born musician.
In Punjab, the music video has been widely circulated on WhatsApp. Local versions of the challenge have been uploaded on sites like Instagram with hashtags, such as #punjabikiki, #shiggychallenge, #bhangra, #bds, #desikiki #kikidoyouloveme #dotheshiggy and #drake. In some videos, youngsters can be seen shaking a leg to Punjabi versions.
Patiala-based Dr Damanjit Sandhu, president, Indian Association of Mental Health Counsellors, said adolescents are vulnerable to such online challenges. “Raging hormones propels them towards sensation-seeking activities like midnight car race betting, offroading, rain stunts,” she said.