Last week, the Rajkot Police imposed a temporary ban on PUBG, the multiplayer competitive shooter pretty much everyone has been obsessed with. They even threatened to arrest people found playing the game. It turns out the cops weren't bluffing one bit.
According to a notification from the office of local police commissioner Manoj Agrawal, they've arrested at least 10 people around the city for playing the smartphone game.
Not in traffic. On their own smartphones. Without bothering anyone else... Seriously guys?
The reason the Rajkot Police provided when banning the popular (yet harmless) smartphone game was that its "addictive" and somehow harmful to youngsters. Just how much it could harm those young people enough for a lawman to take notice was not specified.
Also Read:?Rajkot Police Puts Temporary Ban On PUBG For 'Increasing Violent Behaviour In Children'
The ban currently stands from March 9 to April 30. Anyone can report someone else playing the game and the accused can supposedly face prosecution under Section 188 if the Indian Penal Code. Agrawal insists however that the arrests are harmless, as it's a bailable offense.
According to the Indian Express, the arrests they mention include that of an private company employee, a labourer, and an unemployed graduate. Oh yeah, and they also booked six COLLEGE STUDENTS who were playing PUBG "at tea stalls and fast-food joints outside a college". In all of these cases, the phones were also confiscated as evidence.
Come on guys, these guys have enough problems hiding their phones from professors in class without you threatening them with jail time for playing a game in their free time.
In all seriousness, this has gotten way out of hand. Even if you want to believe PUBG is dangerous, there's a limitation on that. So far, we've had a few reports of related suicides, accidental injuries, and supposed cases of insitutionalisation. You know what we've already confirmed it more dangerous though? Selfies.
Also Read:?159 People Have Died While Taking Selfies In India, The Highest In The World Between 2011-2017
Based on a Carnegie Mellon study from 2018, selfies are one of the leading causes of mobile-related deaths. And between 2014 to 2018, Indians were the highest number dying for their selfies. You don't see the cops nabbing Instagrammers though right? Exactly, because that would be ludicrous.
If you really must make playing PUBG a bailable offence, just say the local police are short on funds and want to auction off the smartphones grabbed as "evidence". That would make more sense than them protecting youngsters from the digital boogeyman.