US Links 'Blue Whale Challenge' To Indian Student's Death In Boston | What Is The 'Suicide Game'?

In a grim first for Indian students studying in US colleges and universities, a first-year student was believed to have taken his own life in March while reportedly participating in a macabre online game of dares known as the "Blue Whale Challenge" or "suicide game".

The 20-year-old student, whose name will remain undisclosed in deference to his family's wishes, was a first-year student at the University of Massachusetts. He was discovered deceased on March 8, as reported by News 18.

US Links 'Blue Whale Challenge' to Indian Student's Death

Gregg Miliote, a spokesperson for the Bristol County District Attorney, stated that the case is under investigation as an "apparent suicide". Initial reports about this incident incorrectly portrayed it as a murder, with the student mistakenly identified as being enrolled at Boston University and involved in a robbery, with the body purportedly discovered in a car in a jungle. Subsequently, The Boston Globe newspaper identified the student by name.

While this agency refrains from disclosing his name out of respect for his family's wishes, the circumstances surrounding his death by suicide while allegedly engaged in this dangerous game, known to target teenagers and young adults globally, warrant reporting as a cautionary tale for Indian students and teens in India and abroad, as well as for parents, as per media reports.

What is the Blue Whale Challenge?

• The "Blue Whale Challenge" is an online game where participants are dared to complete tasks that escalate over 50 steps.
• According to official sources, the fatal challenge for the Indian student involved holding his breath for two minutes.
• This incident may represent the first reported fatality linked to the Blue Whale challenge in India.
• The Indian government had attempted to ban the game years ago but instead issued a detailed advisory, as reported by India TV.
• In a 2017 advisory by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the "Blue Whale game (The suicide game)" was condemned as an abetment to suicide.
• It was described as shared among secretive groups on social media, targeting depressed individuals and coercing them to join.
• The challenge involves an anonymous 'group administrator' assigning 50 tasks over 50 days to selected 'players', who are coerced into completing the 'game' under threats of blackmail and cyberbullying.
• When asked about the student's death in connection with the game, Miliote responded that he had no information and awaited the medical examiner's conclusions, as reported by India TV.
• Numerous Blue Whale Challenge-related deaths were reported in Russia between 2015 and 2017.
• The game is played on social media platforms and involves an administrator assigning daily tasks that start innocuously but become progressively more challenging, culminating in self-harm in later stages.