"Players cannot stop playing (the internet based Blue Whale Challenge game) because they are blackmailed and cyber-bullied into completing the game,” according to a frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) document prepared by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) India. The game, named after the phenomenon of beached (stranded) whales, which is linked with suicide, originated in Russia. A series of tasks are assigned to players by administrators during a 50-day period, with the final challenge requiring the player to commit suicide.
Hutoxi Mistry, principal of Bai R. F. D. Panday Girls’ High School shared a circular received from Maneka Gandhi (pictured), union minister for women and child development to the principals of all schools in India. The notification requires schools to take "immediate steps” to protect children from the game. The School conducted a seminar cum talk for all students, class one upwards, on September 19, 2017. Inputs differed, depending on the class addressed.
Gandhi’s letter of August 31 states that she has requested the ministry of information and technology to find out a technological solution to prevent the downloading of this game. Making a plea for teachers to become vigilant and keep a sharp eye on children’s behavior, the minister suggested that teachers who noted any symptoms (of antisocial behavior) should get in touch with the affected child’s parents or report incidents on the universal helpline "Childline” at 1098. A report in the Hindu dated September 2 says that there have been at least three suicides in India among youth who were playing or had searched for the game, with more being subsequently noted. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has appealed "to parents, teachers, students and all concerned individuals to keep a close watch on all those who may be showing abnormal and erratic behavior.”
Gandhi, a daughter-in-law of Feroze and former prime minister Indira Gandhi, has been a minister in four governments, and has authored a number of books in the areas of law and animal welfare. Maneka had co-authored in 1994, The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names.