Emboldened by PUBG Mobile ban in Surat and Rajkot, other districts follow suit

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds aka PUBG Mobile seems to be permanently in the sights of the government. Following  reports of the game being banned in Surat and Rajkot, now Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath districts are also said to have prohibited the game following notification from the Gujarat home ministry. As per a report in Times Now, the district magistrates of Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath districts have issued circulars for the ban on the game. [caption id=“attachment_5448391” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] Representational image. Credit: PUBG Mobile[/caption] The circular is said to highlight that games like PUBG “incite violent behaviour” amongst players, many of whom are school going kids. The game is also said to hinder the education process. The argument about violence is a bit far-fetched given that plenty of games that are far more violent than PUBG are freely available and accessible to all. Also, the circular apparently states that the “behaviour of the player changes over a period of time.” According to various reports, the Rajkot Police have issued a notice stating that anyone can complain against anyone else found playing the game. Those found guilty can be prosecuted. Jagruti Pandya, chairperson of the Gujarat child rights body had said that the ban was necessary as children were getting addicted to the game and it was “adversely affecting their studies”. Also, “the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had sent a letter to all the states and recommended a ban on the game. All the states are required to implement it. Looking at the negative effects of the game, we had recently sent a letter to the state government recommending a ban on the game.” With inputs from Press Trust of India.