New Delhi (Sputnik) – India’s Law and Information Technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has instructed his office to issue directives to internet majors managing social media and messaging applications including Google search, Facebook and Whatsapp asking them to take down or block links to the online game ‘Blue Whale.’ They have been asked to block all such links that go by other names but leads to similar online challenges.
“Instances of children committing suicide while (playing) Blue Whale Challenge have been reported in India…You are hereby requested to ensure that any such link of this deadly game in its own name or similar game is immediately removed from your platform,” reads a letter dated 11 August by the minister to the internet majors.
On Wednesday, Chief Justice of India made a reference to the game during a hearing on a different case and said “we heard about Blue Whale – that it can lead to anything”.
India’s Minister of Women and Child Welfare also tweeted urging parents to “monitor the activities of children and dissuade them from falling prey to such challenges.”
I urge parents & elder to monitor the activities of children & dissuade them from falling prey to such challenges: Smt @Manekagandhibjp. 4/4
— Ministry of WCD (@MinistryWCD) 14 августа 2017 г.
Meanwhile, the police in the southern state of Kerala is investigating the case of a 16-year-old boy from capital Thiruvananthapuram who hanged himself on July 26. The victim’s mother suspects her son committed suicide to finish a task in the online game. Roughly over a nine-month hindsight, the victim’s mother observed abnormal behavioral pattern in her son.
Authorities in at least five other states, police are investigating cases involving teenagers who played the online game, including two suicide cases.
Indore in Madhya Pradesh, a 13-year-old boy was saved by his friends before he tried to jump off the third floor of his house.
“We think he was tense in the last couple of days, thinking about committing suicide to accomplish the final 50th task of the game,” The Indian Express quoted Rupesh Kumar Dwivedi, Additional Superintendent of Police as saying.
The Blue Whale reportedly made its debut in Russia four years ago. The game creates 50 dares or tasks for its players, which could range from relatively harmless dares like drawing to watching horror movies to the extreme and life-threatening tasks like slashing wrists. The final task is a suicide dare. All tasks are to be filmed and shared as proof on social media.
