A 20-year-old boy hanged himself in the Lonikhand area of Maharashtra's Pune on Wednesday while trying to complete a task in a Blue whale challenge-like online game.
Diwakar Mali, who identified himself as "Black Panther" in the game, left a note written in Marathi and English. "The black panther which was in the cage is free now and he is no longer in any kind of restrictions. The End. Sun will shine again," the note read.
The note also had a drawing of Black Panther. Diwakar's family claimed that he was addicted to mobile phones and online gaming.
After the incident, Diwakar's mother appealed to all the parents of young children to not give them free access to mobile and video games. "I lost my son but parents should pay attention to their children," she said.
The controversial Blue Whale Game challenge, which is being played all over the world since 2015, has reportedly led to many child suicides. The challenge, which requires the participants to complete different tasks in 50 days, end with the participants ending their lives.
The Supreme Court in India directed the government to ban the game. However, the government responded by saying that the Blue Whale Challenge is an online application and cannot be banned.
Studies conducted in Russia, where the game originated, said that most of the children playing the game were in the age group of 12-14 years doing weird tasks like getting up at pre-dawn hours to watch a horror movie. The tasks escalate to self-harm and finally suicide.
