NEW DELHI: India has temporarily blocked the Telegram messaging app, saying it was used to try to defraud candidates for a national medical entrance test, which was also hit last month by allegations of leaked papers that led millions of results to be cancelled.
The ban, which is unprecedented in India, was “in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test 2026 re-examination scheduled on 21 June 2026,” the Ministry of Education’s National Testing Agency said on Tuesday.
It is in effect until June 22.
Last month, the Indian government cancelled the NEET undergraduate entrance exam for medical colleges after authorities said they were investigating allegations that its questions had been leaked.
The government said the platform was used by channels it did not name that said they were selling access to the exam paper.
Following the alleged paper leaks and the cancellation of exam results for 2.3 million students, protests erupted in various parts of India. They included demonstrations by India’s viral Cockroach Janta Party demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
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