Blue Whale challenge: Kerala boy committed suicide after ‘playing’ fatal game, claims grieving mother

A 16-year-old boy in Kerala is reported to have committed suicide after playing the online Blue Whale game that exhorts young people to kill themselves after a series of challenges, reported Manorama, a Malayalam news channel. Hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, Manoj ended his life after allegedly completing the tasks of the deadly game last month.

Recalling the ordeal, Anu, the mother of the deceased, told the news channel the boy had committed suicide after deleting all the games from his mobile phone. Acknowledging that her son had informed her about playing the fatal game, Anu said she had persuaded Manoj to refrain from playing it, but to no avail. She also said he had downloaded the game nine months ago and that he told her not to worry if he dies soon.

His mother also revealed that he used to visit cemeteries during the night and go to the beach alone. One of the tasks assigned to the players involved watching the horror videos sent to them by promoters of the game, it is believed. Manoj had also drawn on his wrist with a compass, his mother said, adding that he had offered to donate his organs after his death. Manoj’s relatives have given his mobile phone to the cyber-cell of the state police. Recently, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had urged the Centre to impose a ban on the game.

Subsequently, the government directed internet giants – Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft and Yahoo to immediately remove the links of the dangerous online game which has led to suicide of children in India and other countries. “Instances of children committing suicide while 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,” Ministry of Electronics and IT(Meity) said in a letter dated August 11 to the internet majors.

According to reports, the letter was issued following instructions from Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Courtesy : indianexpress