BGMI, or Battlegrounds Mobile India, was removed from Google Play store and Apple’s App Store late on Thursday night without any formal announcement. A Google spokesperson said that the removal was done on the basis of a Government order. “On receipt of an 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,” the spokesperson said in a statement. While developer Krafton said it is now “clarifying how BGMI was removed” from the app stores and working on a resolution, there could be a few reasons why the popular battle royale was banned in the country.


For those unaware, BGMI is a rebranded version of PUBG Mobile, which was banned by the Centre along with 117 other Chinese apps back in September 2020. PUBG Mobile was eventually relaunched in 2021 as Battlegrounds Mobile India with certain tweaks and changes by South Korea-based Krafton.


A recent report, citing official sources, suggested that Krafton will hold a meeting with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to help resolve the issue.


While Krafton or the Government hasn’t issued an official announcement explaining why BGMI was removed from app stores, some earlier incidents could be considered as the reason behind the removal:


PRAHAR urging the Government to ban BGMI, backed by RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch 


Back in February 2022, PRAHAR, an Assam-based NGO, urged the government to block PUBG-BGMI. It asked the Centre to add the game to its list of 54 Chinese apps banned on February 14, calling its omission from the ban list “a clear lapse in judgement on part of the Government.”


PRAHAR’s initiative was supported by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch. “We congratulate the Government on their decision to ban another 54 Chinese apps in India recently. This is in line with the ongoing demand from people of India to boycott all kinds of Chinese goods," said Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convener, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch. “Also, in today’s data-centric world, maintaining technology integrity is extremely important to protect the sovereignty of India, security of the state and defence of India. We urge the Government to thoroughly investigate the antecedents and China influence of the BGMI-PUBG app and take immediate action if found in violation.”


Boy kills mother for stopping him from playing PUBG, NCPCR asks why game still available after ban


In June 2022, a 16-year-old boy allegedly killed his mother when she stopped him from playing PUBG. The teenager, a resident of Lucknow, hid the woman’s body inside a room for two days before informing his father, who is an Army personnel posted in West Bengal. It was his father’s licensed gun that was used to commit the act.


Following this incident, the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) sent a letter to the IT ministry, asking why the banned game was still available to children. The commission wrote in its letter, “In view of the incident, it is beyond the understanding of the Commission, that how a banned game in India, which has been blocked by the Government of India is still available for use by minors.” 


Chinese data migration concerns


A report by Talkesport, citing “government official sources,” claimed that Krafton will hold a meeting with MeitY over the removal. As per the report, BGMI was banned in India over the same data migration concerns related to the game and its Chinese connections that led to the ban of PUBG Mobile back in 2020.


ABP Live has reached out to Krafton for a comment on the MeitY meeting. This report will be updated when we hear back. 


As mentioned, there has been no official confirmation on why the game was removed and if BGMI has been banned in the country altogether. So, readers are advised to consider this report with a pinch of salt.