Seven youths were swept away when they were taking selfies along the banks of the Ganga River in Kanpur. When one of the youths fell into the river while taking a selfie others jumped in the river to save him resulting in all seven youths being swept away by the current.
This new selfie craze has taken many lives in India where social media obsession is at the peak among youths. Youths risk their lives just to take selfies and get likes and attention on social media.
Selfie deaths in India have increased since last year due to an increase in selfie addiction. Last year 15 people died while taking selfies. Most of the deaths have happened either falling form heights or drowning in the river. Up till now the total count of selfie deaths is 29 in India.
Increasing incidents of selfie deaths prompted state governments to create ‘No Selfie Zones’. Mumbai police have taken strict actions against offenders and has identified 16 ‘No Selfie Zones’ across the city, after a man and a girl drowned in the ocean while taking a selfie.
The Indian government had set up ‘No Selfie Zones’ in the Kumbh Mela, which is India’s largest Hindu religious congregation. ‘No Selfie Zones’ were created to prevent bottlenecks in the huge crowd.
