KASARAGOD: The police cannot ban online games in the state but can take legal action if they receive complaints, the state police chief told the State Human Rights Commission. The commission was hearing a petition submitted by human rights activist Devadas who took up the matter of a migrant worker behaving erratically after playing an online war game for long hours.
In August 2020, a 40-year-old construction worker from West Bengal barged into the Bekal police station and demanded to play war games with the sub-inspector. He sought to play with guns. When the police asked him to go back to his room in Udma, he turned violent. He was overpowered and sent to his room.
But the next morning, he hit the coastal highway and started blocking the inter-state trucks and lying on the road. Police officers took him to the district hospital where he was sedated. His roommates said he was addicted to PUBG.
Commission member K Byjunath heard the petition seeking the SHRC’s intervention in restricting the usage of online games. He said unrestricted playing of online games had its consequences in society and among youths but the state cannot bring in laws to curb its usage.