Why has India banned PUBG? Salvo against the controversial game explained

PUBG Mobile has been in troubled waters for a long time in India. The controversial game has been the crux for many instances where people have shown a dramatic obsession with the game. However, with the central decision to ban the game along with 118 other Chinese applications amid the ongoing tension between China and India, fans have been wishing to know why the extreme step to ban the game altogether was taken by the government. 

Also read: Teen kills self after being reprimanded for playing PUBG

Why is PUBG banned in India?

PUBG has been axed from India only because of its connections to China. IT Ministry has come forward and stated that the banned apps 'are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India'. The Chinese applications around the world, especially in India and the USA have been under a lot of fire for being secret data leakers to the communist regime. Though there have been no instances where PUBG Mobile has been alleged of leaking data from other countries to China, its relation to the country has resulted in the game getting banned from the country altogether.

Also read: India banning PUBG among 118 Chinese apps triggers US call to 'freedom loving countries'

The ministry has deemed this act of collecting data and sending it to China 'hostile to the national security and defence of India'. On the other hand, the move of banning Chinese apps has come just a day after the Indian government came forward and accused the Chinese troops of taking provocative action in Ladakh. A similar step was taken by the Chinese troops back on August 31 at the Southern bank of Ladakh's Pangong Lake. 

Also read: Full list of 224 Chinese apps banned in India till date; including PUBG, TikTok and Shein

Image courtesy - PUBG mobile official website

While the PUBG mobile gaming community has brought about a renaissance of professional video gaming in India, which was not in trend before, the game has been also criticised on the grounds of multiple accusations. There have been several instances the game has been seen in the controversial light in India. For eg. Rajkot and Ahemdabad had temporarily banned the application as it was a big distraction for students. Whereas, schools in Bengaluru had also warned parents about the addictive nature of the game. 

Also read: Is PUBG banned in India? Know everything about other similar games