Why Telegram was blocked for a week in India

The Telegram messenger has been temporarily blocked in India until June 22 during the re-examination process for medical college entrance exams. This was reported by the Reuters agency.

On June 21, millions of applicants across the country will retake the NEET-UG, the national entrance exam for medical colleges. The results of the exam held in May were canceled due to allegations that questions had been leaked.

The National Testing Agency, which organizes the exams, supported this decision, stating that the measure was taken in response to the platform being "used in an organized manner by fraudsters to deceive applicants."

It was noted that administrators of several Telegram channels demanded hundreds of thousands of rupees from applicants and their parents for access to materials presented as exam questions. Agency officials emphasized that such materials do not exist outside the secure examination system.

Internet users and human rights defenders criticized the ban, calling it a temporary fix for a much more serious problem related to fraud in examinations.

For reference, NEET is the primary entrance exam for medical colleges in India. 2.28 million applicants across the country participated in the exam held on May 3, 2026. A few days later, reports of leaked exam questions caused sharp public outcry.

Subsequently, the National Testing Center found the results to be invalid and scheduled the re-examination for June 22.