Blue Whale challenge victim's father regrets not getting son diagnosed ahead of incident

Moneycontrol News 

Devinder Thakur, the father of a teenage Blue Whale challenge victim Karan Thakur, from Panchkula, said that he would never be able to forgive himself for not consulting a psychiatrist for his son.

Before committing suicide, Karan Thakur, 16, had confessed to his parents around 20 days back that he might be needing medical assistance.

The family had subsequently visited a hospital but as it was too crowded they returned back.

As per a statement from the victim’s father in an Indian Express report, the boy had himself said that it was not urgent and they could see the doctor some other day.

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“Had I followed it up the next day and positively shown him to the doctor, he would have been with us today. I didn’t take it that seriously… I won’t be able to forgive myself for my entire life,” said Devinder Thakur, father of the suicide victim.

Devinder also said that parents should not give their children smartphones unless they turn 20.

Karan had asked for a new phone from his father sometime back. He was told that he had to get good marks in his board exams to deserve one.

Also Read: Blue Whale Challenge deaths: State governments are rightly banning the game, but is it effective?

For a few days before the incident, Karan had not been going out with his cousin who lived opposite their house for evening walks with their dog.

“For some days, he wasn’t joining us. When we asked him, he would say that he isn’t in a mood. He started remaining confined to himself,” said a friend.

Blue Whale Challenge has so far taken many lives across several states and has been banned in several states as well, with IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asking Google and Facebook to take it down.