13-Yr-Old Allegedly Attempts Suicide Playing the ‘Blue Whale’ Game

In an another incident, a 14-year-old was rescued by the police while on his way to complete a task of the game.

The Blue Whale Challenge is driving young vulnerable teens to suicide.

(Photo: The Quint/Rythum Seth)

In two separate incidents on Thursday related to the notorious online ‘Blue Whale Challenge,’ a teenager attempted suicide, and another was rescued by police while on his way to complete one of the tasks in the game.

A 13-year-old boy, while allegedly playing the game, tried to jump off the third floor of his school in Indore on Thursday but fellow students thwarted his attempt, police said.

In a separate incident in Maharashtra’s Solapur, a 14-year-old boy who was allegedly on his way to Pune to complete a task given to him in the online game, was rescued by the police.

Also Read: Blue Whale: The Online Game That’s Pushing Teens to Commit Suicide

Indore Incident

The boy, student of class VII, climbed the railing of a balcony on the third floor of Chamali Devi Public School at Rajendra Nagar, and tried to jump off, but other students pulled him back, Additional Superintendent of Police Rupesh Kumar Dwivedi said.

The students informed their teachers, who approached the police. Dwivedi said:

Initial investigation suggests that the boy had been playing the ‘Blue Whale’ game on his father’s cellphone for the last couple of days. We think he was tense in the last couple of days, thinking about committing suicide to accomplish the final 50th task of the game.

Police were thinking of taking the boy to a psychiatrist for counselling, the ASP said.

School principal Sangeeta Poddar said the boy was too frightened after his thwarted suicide attempt. He told the teachers that he had been playing ‘Blue Whale’ game for the last couple of days.

Also Read: How the Blue Whale Challenge Manipulates Teens

Solapur Incident

The district police on 9 August intercepted a Pune-bound state transport bus in which the teenager was travelling, near Bhigwan following a tip-off given by their Solapur counterparts. A Bhigwan police station officer said:

As soon as we were informed by our counterparts in Solapur, we intercepted the bus and rescued the boy, who was on his way to complete a task given by the ‘Blue Whale’ Challenge game.

He said the boy appeared “lost” and was silent when the police took him with them. The officer said:

The boy’s businessman father came to the police station and took him home.

According to him, the class IX student was addicted to the game, where a player is given different tasks by his handlers.

The official added:

After the boy went missing, his parents started inquiring with his friends when they came to know that he was playing the ‘Blue Whale’ Challenge.

Also Read: Do NOT Try to Play It: The Gory World of the Blue Whale Challenge

Kerala Govt Seeks Ban, But is That Possible?

The Kerala government said on 9 August that it would ask the Centre to ban the online ‘Blue Whale’ game in India, citing reports of a large number of children getting addicted to the game that was allegedly abetting their suicide worldwide.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while replying to a submission in the Assembly, said the state police had already issued necessary alerts to make parents vigilant about the game and to ensure that children do not get addicted.

Vijayan said:

It is the responsibility of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (ICERT) to take necessary action in this regard. We will ask the Centre to ban the ‘Blue Whale’ game in the country.

As terrifying as it may sound however, the ‘Blue Whale’ Challenge cannot be banned. The online game does not come in the form of a well-defined application; it is played using hashtags on social media platforms and on instant messaging apps.

The Blue Whale Game also “Blue Whale Challenge” is an Internet “game” allegedly comprising a series of tasks assigned to players by administrators during a 50-day period, with the final challenge requiring the player to commit suicide.

The macabre game, which is said to have originated in Russia, is suspected to have claimed a teenager's life in Mumbai recently.

Also Read: Police Probe ‘Blue Whale Game’ Angle in Mumbai Teen’s Suicide

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