Forty Gujarat students self-harm over online game

Deadly idea inspired by the banned ‘Blue Whale’ game

The students suffered injuries on their own hands.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) – In a shocking incident, a seventh-grade student at a primary school in Mota Munjiyasar village, Amreli District, Gujarat, assigned the task to his classmates to cut their hands with blades. Initially, around 10 students from his class participated, but the number eventually grew to 40, including students from grades 5 to 8. These students inflicted wounds on their hands using various objects. The student who initiated the challenge was reportedly inspired by the ‘Blue Whale’ video game, which gave him the idea of assigning such a dangerous task.

1. The student told his classmates that the one with the most wounds on his hand would be rewarded with Rs 10 and considered the winner of the challenge.

2. The student who completed the task would receive Rs 10, but anyone who failed had to pay Rs 5 to the others.

3. During the Police investigation, it was revealed that the student who initiated the challenge frequently brought a mobile phone to school and often played online games at home.

Teachers shift the blame onto parents

When the teachers at the primary school noticed the wounds on the students’ hands, they downplayed their responsibility, claiming that the parents were at fault. According to the teachers, “Parents allow children to use mobile phones without supervision. They fail to monitor what games or content their children are accessing. It is the parents’ responsibility, not the teachers’, to prevent children from becoming addicted to mobile phones.”

Blue Whale game banned in India

The Indian Government banned the online game ‘Blue Whale’ in 2017, labelling it a “suicide-inducing game. “Between 2015 and 2017, several cases of suicide linked to the game were reported. The game consists of 50 stages, which gradually become more dangerous. Over a period of 50 days, players are assigned daily new tasks. While the initial challenges are relatively easy, they become increasingly perilous, eventually involving self- harm and even encouraging players to commit suicide in the final stages.