The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Narinder Batra on Thursday denied claims that the body has given recognition to the popular banned game Players Unknown Battleground (PUBG). The IOA was accused by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) earlier this week after a 16-year-old took the life of his mother as she prevented him from playing the game in a terrorizing development.
The NCPCR sought answers from both IOA and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology over the accessibility of these banned games in India. PUBG was one of the many popular Chinese apps and games that was banned in 2020 after India’s political altercations with China over border infringements.
Notably, the incident took place on 8th June when the son of an Army personnel posted in West Bengal shot his mother after a quarrel over the game. Initially, the teenager denied accusations by fabricating false stories about his mother’s death, but later he revealed the truth to his father.
NCPCR wants an answer from the IOA
Narinder Batra replied to the NCPCR‘s letter that demanded answers following the horrible incident. “No, IOA does not give any kind of recognition which is against the country and the law. We don’t allow them to promote any kind of violent games. Yes, it is true that ESports came to us, but we haven’t given them any recognition,” IOA Chief Batra told ANI.
NCPCR Chief Priyank Kangoogo also spoke to ANI and demanded a detailed response from IOA on this matter and also wanted an answer from the IT ministry regarding the banned games that are still being accessed by minors in the country.
“If they claim they haven’t given recognition to PUBG, then they have to brief us in a written manner. We also want an answer from the IT Ministry. These kinds of games should be banned as they make our children violent. This is a very serious issue which should be dealt with carefully,” Kangoogo said.
