Will not be coming to school from Monday: Mumbai boy told pals
BLUE WHALE CHALLENGE Victim cremated in Nashik; police to question family, check his social media and WhatsApp messages
A friend of the 14-yearold Mumbai boy, whose suicide is being linked to the Blue Whale challenge, remembered the victim as well-mannered.
They used to play cricket together for the past 4-5 years in the area. Speaking to HT, the friend claimed that the 14-yearold had told them that he would not be coming to school from Monday.
The boy committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of an Andheri (East) building on Saturday. “He was very friendly. We never thought he would take such a drastic step,” the friend added.
He said the victim had told one of them that he was participating in an online game, but they didn’t pay heed as none of them had heard of the Blue Whale challenge until he committed suicide.
The boy’s family, meanwhile, has returned from Nashik after performing his last rites.
The police will soon speak to them, and will also check his social media accounts and WhatsApp messages. His death has sparked the fear that the dangerous self-harm online challenge could have made its way to India.
An eyewitness, who lives in the opposite building, told the police that he had seen the boy walk on the terrace wall and called out to him to stop him from jumping. But the boy didn’t respond. The person saw the boy try to make at least two attempts to jump.
By the time the witness rushed out of his house to get help, the boy had jumped off the building.
The game, which is believed to have been the brainchild of an arrested Russian national who admitted to have psychologically manipulated teen girls to kill themselves, has since then claimed more than 100 lives in Russia and UK.
The Maharashtra government said it is contemplating measures such as imposing a ban on the Blue Whale challenge. The matter was raised in the state assembly on Tuesday.
The state government will seek the help of the Centre to ban the game or check its spread. Since it is controlled from outside India, it may not be easy to impose a complete ban..
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “It is an online game and we will see if it can be controlled. We will probe the tragic suicide incident of a student due to Blue Whale game. The state government will further coordinate with the Centre ...”
THE GAME, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN THE BRAINCHILD OF AN ARRESTED RUSSIAN NATIONAL, HAS CLAIMED MORE THAN 100 LIVES IN RUSSIA AND UK