THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to ban the video game Blue Whale in India. The game is a challenge to the society and comprehensive action against this from all responsible agencies are of utmost importance, he said. In a letter to the PM, Pinarayi said the cyber wing of the state police is taking its best efforts to make people aware through social media and other channels. However, the state government alone can do very little in this issue. The only solution to arrest the menace is to ban this game altogether, he said.
“It has been reported there is an internet trend growing in popularity that encourages its participants to hurt themselves in real life - called Blue Whale. This is not a video game but the participants are required to receive instructions from an anonymous administrator, and their final task is to commit suicide. The target is basically young children,” Vijayan said.
The game can be banned only with the coordinated efforts of Union Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Home and Information and Broadcasting. In view of the threat at the door step, immediate action should be initiated to ban the game, the CM said.