Khaberni - A major tragedy shook the city of Bharat in Ghaziabad, India, after 3 teenage sisters died after falling from the balcony of their ninth-floor apartment, in a tragic incident that renewed the debate about the impact of digital content and cultural obsession on teenagers.
According to details reported by the British newspaper Daily Mail and Indian newspapers, the sisters Bhakhi (12 years old), Prachi (14 years old), and Vishika (16 years old), jumped from their home balcony in the early hours of yesterday morning after a dispute with their parents over confiscation of their mobile phones.
The Daily Mail mentioned that initial investigations reveal that the girls were suffering from an extreme obsession with Korean culture, particularly K-pop music, alongside an addiction to video games.
The newspaper reported based on local reports that the girls' screams before the incident were so loud that they woke up the parents and neighbors, but the rescue attempt came too late.
After the incident, the grief-stricken parents found an eight-page suicide note, written by the girls in their own handwriting, containing shocking phrases in which they expressed their deep attachment to Korean culture, and their rejection of what they considered attempts by their parents to deprive them of living their lives as they wished.
The letter stated that the girls considered Korean culture as the essence of their being, and even pointed out that their love for Korean celebrities exceeded their love for their family, as they had taken Korean names for themselves before their death.
The letter also mentioned family disputes regarding the youngest sister, whom the sisters tried to influence and encourage to adopt the same interests, but their parents refused this.
The letter - according to the British newspaper - touched on feelings of aversion among the girls towards Indian culture, including Bollywood, and even their rejection of the idea of marrying an Indian man in the future, which investigators considered an indicator of psychological disorder and extreme cultural obsession.
The Times of India quoted the father of the three sisters saying that his daughters had been addicted to video games for at least three years, and the influence of South Korean culture on them was significant and evident.
They wanted to go to South Korea, the sorrowful father explained, highlighting that he was unaware of the severity of the situation until the police checked his daughters' phones.
He continued that on the night of the incident, the whole family was asleep when the three sisters woke up under the pretext of going to drink water, headed toward the room, locked it, and then jumped from the room's balcony.
School dropout
According to the Indian newspaper, the city police chief explained that the three girls had dropped out of school about 3 years ago and had been irregular in their studies even before they fully stopped attending.
The investigations revealed that the girls left school two years ago, and writings found in their room reflected a deep sense of loneliness and despair.
The Daily Mail continues that eyewitnesses shared stories indicating that one of the sisters was trying to jump, while the other two tried to stop her, before they all fell from the balcony in quick succession.
Indian media also circulated information about a video game suspected of having a dangerous psychological impact on children.
The newspaper said that the incident sparked a wave of sorrow and anger in India, prompting experts to call for stricter control over digital content, and enhanced family and psychological awareness to protect children and teenagers from drifting into an obsession that could lead to tragic consequences.
