PUBG Mobile Game Banned In India, 118 Other Chinese Apps Also Face The Axe

NEW DELHI || Amid fresh tensions with neighbouring China in the Ladakh region, the Indian government on Thursday banned popular game PUBG Mobile in India. Along with it, 118 Chinese mobile apps have also been banned.

The move was in the interest of India's sovereignty and integrity, defence and security, the government said in a statement. Tencent Holdings Ltd's videogame PUBG Mobile ranks among the world's top five smartphone games with over 734 million downloads. There are close to 50 million active PUBG players in India, according to reports. The game clocks in some 13 million daily users.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the mobile game has been banned along with the other Apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, on grounds that "they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".