India Creates ‘No-Selfie Zones’ to Combat Rise in Selfie-Related Deaths

The country now holds the highest record for having the greatest number of “selfie-related” deaths in 2015.

The phrase, “I’m dying to take a selfie,” takes a new meaning in India—the country now holds the highest record for having the greatest number of “selfie-related” deaths in 2015. Of the reported 27 deaths that occurred around the globe last year while snapping self-portraits, about half occurred in India. Unfortunately, India is already trending in 2016 already with six more selfie-related deaths across the country.

The concept of the “selfie” is all the hype in India—even Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is known for his endless stream of selfie Tweets with other world leaders. Additionally, Haryana’s “selfie with daughter” movement that initiated the government-backed Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, and, of course, the popular Bollywood song, “Selfie Le Le Re” from the film, “Bajrangi Bhaijaan,” all add to the allure of selfies.

Yet, caution must now go hand in camera-holding-hand, so as to stop more Indians from heading down this slippery, selfie-death slope. Grimly, this was literally the cause of two selfie deaths last November, when two college students slipped, fell, and drowned in the Narmada canal of Gujarat while attempting to take selfies on their mobile phones.

Among the many reported selfie-related deaths, here are a few others that have taken place in India:

January 2015

• Three students, between the ages of 20 and 22, died trying to take a selfie close to a speeding train. On Republic Day, they were travelling to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and had stopped their car by the railway track for a ‘daredevil selfie.’

March 2015

• Seven people drowned in a lake in Nagpur while attempting to take a selfie—their boat tipped over when they stood to pose.

September 2015

• An engineering student died while taking selfies with friends in Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu. The cliff on which he was standing gave way, plunging him into a 60-foot ravine and causing fatal head injuries.

• A Japanese tourist trying to take a selfie at the Taj Mahal fell down the steps, sustaining fatal head injuries.

January 2016

• A teenage girl and her two friends fell off rocks into the Arabian Sea near Bandra Bandstand in the north of Mumbai while clicking selfies. A passerby jumped in and managed to help save the two friends, but was himself washed away by the choppy waters. His body was found floating in a nearby creek, though the girl’s remained missing.

• A 23-year-old Indian tourist was visiting the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur with his friends. While taking a selfie from the ramparts of the fort, he lost his balance and fell to his death.

In an effort to discourage people from taking such risks, Indian municipalities are attempting to awaken and alert the public to “no-selfie zones.” Last year, no-selfie zones were established in certain areas of the Kumbh Mela, a biennial Hindu pilgrimage and one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. Kumbh Mela organizers feared crowd blockages and subsequent stampedes by distracted selfie-takers.

More recently, in response to this month’s incident at Bandra Bandstand, Mumbai Police have also identified and marked more than a dozen no-selfie zones across the city—including the infamous Marine Drive, Chowpatty beach, the beach fronts at Dadar and Juhu, the Bandra Bandstand, and the forts at Worli and Bandra.

“We will write to the civic body to put up signboards at tourists spots along the coast warning tourists and others that they should not take selfies as it is dangerous,” Dhananjay Kulkarni, a Mumbai police spokesperson, said.

Lifeguards will also be deployed to beachfront sites and police will accordingly be stationed to give verbal warnings. Violators, however, will not be fined. Instead, the public will additionally be made aware of these guidelines through the Mumbai Police’s Twitter account and website.

Here’s to hoping for civic success and selfie safety in the coming year! Let these ill-fated events serve as reminders of how, sometimes, we really do just need to put down the camera and document our experiences with our own senses. And if that is absolutely impossible, then at the very least, please do pass on the friendly reminder: “chal beta, selfie [please sambhalke] le le re.”