'Blue Whale Challenge' likely behind Indian student's death in US: Report

A first-year Indian origin student took his own life in March while playing, it is understood, a gruesome online game of dares called the 'Blue Whale Challenge', which is alsocalled the 'suicide game'.

The 20-year-old, who remains unnamed here as per his family's wishes, was a first-year student at the University of Massachusetts.

He was found dead on March 8. Gregg Miliote, a spokesperson for the Bristol County District Attorney said the case is being investigated as apparent suicide. His death was widely reported as a murder in which he was misidentified as enrolled at Boston University.

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He was said to have been robbed and his body was found in a car in a jungle. As per the official sources, the student was holding his breath for two minutes.

When asked specifically about the student's death in this game, Miliote said, "We have no information on this. The case is being investigated as an apparent suicide. We are awaiting the medical examiner's final conclusions before the case is closed."

What is Blue Whale Challenge?

The 'Blue Whale Challenge' is an online social media trend that involves a series of 50 tasks assigned over a set period.

It involves an administrator and a participant. The administrator assigns one task a day for a 50-day period. The tasks are innocuous enough in the beginning, but they are gradually harder with self-harm (Suicides) coming in the final stages.

The Indian government was hoping to ban the Blue Whale Challenge but ultimately pursued a strategy of issuing a detailed advisory.

"Blue whale game (the suicide game) is abetment to suicide," said the Indian IT ministry in an advisory issued in 2017, a year after the emergence of the game.

(With inputs from agencies)