Many reports of Indian students’ deaths have been recorded in the United States, with a recent story providing light on one student’s death, which may be tied to the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’. According to media sources, the 20-year-old, a first-year student at the University of Massachusetts, died in March. Speaking on his death, Gregg Miliote, a spokeswoman for the Bristol County District Attorney, stated that the matter is being examined as a “apparent suicide,” according to the news agency. When asked about the student’s death as a result of the game, Miliote responded, “We have no information about this. The incident is being examined as an apparent suicide. We are awaiting the medical examiner’s final conclusions before closing the investigation.”
According to media accounts, official sources said the student had been holding his breath for two minutes.
What exactly is Blue Whale Challenge?
The IT Ministry has described the Blue Whale Challenge game as “abetment to suicide.” In this game, contestants are assigned 50 tasks to do in 50 days. Each day, the tasks assigned to players become more difficult. The final task requires people to commit suicide.
In 2017, the IT ministry issued an advisory regarding this game. According to internet sources, the Blue Whale challenge is circulated by hidden organizations on social media networks. The developers search for depressed players/victims and invite them to join.” It also mentioned that: Once the challenge begins, players are blackmailed and cyberbullied into completing the game.
Regarding the allegations of Indian students’ deaths in the United States, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated on April 15 that the subject is of great concern to the Indian government. So far in 2024, 11 students have died in the United States due to a variety of reasons. While a few fatalities were recognized as murder, others were said to have occurred under dubious circumstances.
According to reports, Jaishankar stated that every sad incident involving students is a tragedy for their families and a source of concern for them. But our embassies.
As a result of the increasing frequency of such instances, Jaishankar stated, “Embassies have been instructed to stay in contact with students and communicate with them to warn about dangerous areas of cities to avoid.” He went on to say that, with about 11-12 lakh Indian students still living in various countries, student welfare is critical for India.
Blue Whale Game: Warning in India
The ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ became known between 2015 and 2017, particularly in Russia, where it was related to a number of fatalities in that region.
Blue Whale was famously known as a suicide game, prompting the Indian government to issue an advise in 2017 warning citizens about its dangers.
