The Indian government has blocked the Telegram messenger for a week to combat the growing number of cheating cases surrounding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Exam (NEET). According to the decision, access to the platform will be restricted until June 22, 2026.
According to the Ministry of Education, fraudsters are using Telegram to deceive applicants and spread fake information about the exam. However, the agency did not provide specific details.
Note that in May 2026, the results of the NEET exam were canceled due to question leaks. The exam is planned to be re-conducted.
The Indian government called the blocking of Telegram a “last resort” and said that previous attempts to remove cheating content from the platform had not yielded results. Officials acknowledged that the restrictions affected hundreds of thousands of users and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.
