Inspired by Film, 8-Year-Old Threatens to Blow Up Airport in Patna
- IndiaGlitz, [Wednesday,June 12 2019]
A young boy in Grade 2 threatened to blow up the Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna. He was inspired by a Bhojpuri film ‘Train se Pakistan.’ The boy called up the airport and made his threat after watching a similar phone call scene from the movie. The number from which the call was made was found to be registered under a Siddhanth Sharma of Birla Colony. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rajesh Kumar Prabhakar said that when they were talking to the child’s grandfather, the boy confessed about making the call. The DSP said: “The boy informed the police that when his grandfather was asleep, he had used his mobile phone. First, he found the number of the Patna airport on Google and then proceeded to make the call.”
The boy was taken into custody and released after his father issued a bond that the mistake would not be repeated. According to Prabhakar: “Police have treated it as a childish mistake but directed the family to keep a close watch on the boy.” This incident shows the importance of the role of the censor board in determining what children can watch. It also suggests the need for media education by schools and parents in order that children are able to understand the nature, techniques, and impacts of messages and differentiate between the reel and the real world.