Battlegrounds Mobile India aka BGMI has been banned in India. The game was pulled from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store on Thursday. For those unaware, BGMI was launched in the country last year as a rehashed version of PUBG Mobile. The latter was banned in India as part of the government’s initiative to remove a list of Chinese apps that were deemed a “threat to India’s security.” It seems BGMI has been added to that list now as the game has been removed from Android and iOS app stores in the country. But why exactly is BGMI banned in India?
Why is BGMI banned in India?
There isn’t a clear reason behind the ban on BGMI in India, but it seems to be linked to a recent alleged killing over PUBG. According to a recent report, a 16-year-old boy shot and killed his mother over an argument about online games like PUBG. The Indian law enforcement was investigating the incident.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar noted that PUBG was banned in India in 2020, but banned apps have been resurfacing in new avatars. This was a clear reference to BGMI, which launched as a new version of PUBG Mobile minus the disturbing elements.
Google and Krafton’s statements on BGMI ban in India
Google in a statement said, “On receipt of the order, following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India.”
Meanwhile, Krafton said, “we are clarifying how BGMI was removed from Google Play and will let you know once we get specific information.”
