‘Leaks just moved to other apps’: Telegram CEO says India ban punishes 150M+ users
A temporary government crackdown on Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination has triggered a fresh controversy after Telegram founder Pavel Durov criticised India’s decision to restrict the platform, saying the move unfairly punishes millions of ordinary users while doing little to stop exam paper leaks.
The Indian government has ordered the temporary suspension of Telegram services until June 22 as part of efforts to prevent malpractice during the June 21 re-examination of NEET-UG 2026, which is being conducted again after allegations of question paper leaks during the earlier exam held on May 3.
