Blue Whale challenge: Madhya Pradesh cabinet to take a call on banning the game

Three Blue whale related incidents have been reported in the state within last one month.

Published on: Sep 4, 2017, 23:27:16 IST

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By Neeraj Santoshi

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After three Blue Whale game related incidents were reported in Madhya Pradesh in last one month, the state government has decided to act tough and take some stringent measures.

On Saturday night, a student from Damoh district committed suicide by jumping in front of a train, which was caught on a CCTV camera of a nearby building. (File Photo)

The challenge posed by the deadly game will be discussed in the state cabinet meeting on Tuesday and government will push for its total ban in the state.

Deepak Joshi, minister of state for school education, said he will write to the state home department that anyone found encouraging others to play this game, should be dealt with sternly as it was akin to abatement to suicide in a way. “Police should take action against people found encouraging the playing of this game”, he said.

Joshi said he will also raise this issues related to Blue Whale game with the chief minister in the state cabinet on Tuesday.

“This is becoming serious issue and we don’t want our children to become its victims. I will raise this issue in the cabinet meeting on Tuesday and stress that the game be completely banned in the state”, he said

Joshi said he has already written a letter to the Central government and the state government that this deadly game should be completely banned. “I have also asked the principal secretary school education that he should conduct motivational programmes in the private schools, stressing the need for staying away from such deadly games”

Joshi said it is not the students of the government schools but those from private schools who are becoming victims of the game. “This may be because of the fact students of private schools are more aware of the developments in cyber world.”

Three Blue whale related incidents have been reported in the state within last one month. On Saturday night, a Class 11 boy from MP’s Damoh district committed suicide by jumping in front of a train, which was caught on a CCTV camera of a nearby building.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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