BGMI may get banned in India again amid security concerns

BGMI India ban: The Indian government is reportedly planning to ban Krafton’s popular battle royale game, Battleground Mobile India or BGMI in India again. The game has come on the radar of security agencies who fear that the game could be used for launching a cyber-attack in the country or even espionage.

Why BGMI may be banned in India?

A senior government official from Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology’s (MeitY) Cyber Security Group told folks at News18 that the agency has recommended that the government bans BGMI in India as it prove to be hazardous to the national security. While the reasons for this decision aren’t known at the moment, the report claims that the entry of Pakistani national, Seema Haider, along with the fact that the data collected by the game could be used for launching a cyber-attack in the country are some of the most pressing concerns of the agency.

For the unversed, Seema Haider is a Pakistani national who met her partner Sachin Meena while playing PUBG online in 2019. She met Sachin in March 2023 in Nepal where she got married before traveling to India. The couple was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police in July 2023 over Haider entering India illegally. The police also suspected that Haider could be Pakistani spy.

When will we know BGMI’s fate for sure?

As per the report, the government has shared a detailed list of questions to Krafton to probe the matter and the agency is now awaiting response from the company. Furthermore, the report says that a meeting set for set week will decide the fate of the game in India.

BGMI rocky past in India

It is worth noting that the Indian government banned BGMI in India back in July 2022 citing security concerns as the reason for the decision. A year after the ban, the game was allowed to return to India after a three-month-long trial period. Shortly after, Krafton made the game available on both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store for interested gamers to download and play. At the time, the company had placed some restrictions in compliance with the government’s condition. Now, less than a year later, the game stands on the verge of being banned in India again.