MP minister Narottam Mishra says state will bring law to ban online games
The minister’s announcement came a day after an 11-year-old boy allegedly died by suicide after losing ₹6,000 in an online game in Bhopal
The Madhya Pradesh government will soon introduce a legislation to ban online games, home minister Narottam Mishra said on Thursday, a day after an 11-year-old boy allegedly died by suicide after losing ₹6,000 in an online game in Bhopal.
“Online games have become a serious matter. To ban the games, we are bringing a new law in Madhya Pradesh. The draft is ready,” Mishra told reporters here.
In August last year, too, the home minister had announced a legislation to ban online games after a 13-year-old student ended his life in Chhatarpur district.
Once implemented, Madhya Pradesh will become the eighth state in India to ban online games. Earlier, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha, Sikkim, Nagaland and Karnataka have banned online gaming by bringing in laws, which have been challenged in courts by gaming companies.
On Wednesday, a class five student in Bhopal ended his life allegedly after losing money in online games, police said.
Additional commissioner of police, Sachin Atulkar, said, “No suicide note was found from the spot but parents informed that the child was addicted of playing an online game. He used to play games on TV as well on mobile. He was so fond of online games that he himself ordered the game fighter’s dress online.”
His parents tried to convince him not to play online games, the senior officer added.
“When his parents deleted the game from one mobile phone, the boy reinstalled it in some other phone. In the payment history, it was found that the child had spent ₹6,000 to purchase add-on of the game from his father’s account without informing them,” said Atulkar.
Police said on Wednesday afternoon the boy hanged himself. He was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, the ACP said.
According to the police, the boy had attempted to end his life about three months ago as well but his mother intervened and stopped him.
Further probe in the case is on, police said.