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PRAHAR, an NGO that focuses on socio-economic development, has asked the government to restrict BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India), alleging that it poses a threat to India's security.
It's been just a few days since 54 mobile applications were banned in the country, including Garena Free Fire, one of the most played mobile games in India. The abrupt suspension has wreaked havoc on the thriving mobile gaming sector, as both professional players and content creators have been impacted.
PRAHAR urges the Indian government to ban BGMI
PRAHAR recently stated in a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology that, following the original ban, PUBG was relaunched into the Indian market under the new name of Battlegrounds Mobile India by a Tencent fronted company (Krafton) in order to evade Indian lawmakers.
According to PRAHAR, with a 15.5 percent stake in Krafton, Tencent is the company's second-largest shareholder. Additionally, they claimed that the Chinese corporation has stakes in the promoter's many enterprises through private deals hidden from the public, granting them control over the organization.
The NGO stated in the letter:
"We, therefore, request your ministry to include Chinese app BGMI-PUBG among the list of banned apps in India under Section 69A of the IT Act in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, and public order and save millions of unsuspecting players from falling prey into the Chinese trap."
They went on to say the following:
"Free Fire was another gaming app that was banned on 14 February. Since Tencent also holds an 18.7% share in Free Fire, it raises a basic question: If Free Fire was banned, why was BGMI-PUBG exempted?"
The national convenor and president of the NGO, Abhay Mishra, was quoted saying:
"In the 'so-called new avatar,' BGMI-PUBG is no different from the erstwhile PUBG with Tencent still controlling it in the background."
He also added:
"Such camouflage activities are nothing but Ravana disguised as a Sadhu."
PRAHAR was later joined by Swadeshi Jagran Manch on the issue of a probe into the origins of BGMI and the extent of China's influence in the game.
PUBG Mobile's ban in 2020
In September 2020, PUBG Mobile was banned in the country under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. After a lengthy wait, Indian fans could finally enjoy their beloved title in its new form, when it was introduced as BGMI. However, several legislators urged for a ban on BGMI at the time of its release.
