India has temporarily blocked Telegram until June 22, amid concerns that fraudsters are using the messaging platform to target students ahead of a re-test of NEET (UG), a major medical college entrance exam. The National Testing Agency cited fears over fake exam papers and misinformation, despite CEO Pavel Durov arguing such measures would punish more users than offenders.

Durov also accused Indian telecom operator Reliance of disrupting access to Telegram for some outside India through unauthorized internet routing announcements, though the company did not comment. Critics argue this ban is disproportionate, with advocates calling it a band-aid solution and questioning legal permissions under Section 69A of the IT Act.

Telegram remains accessible to some in India, and its message-editing feature appears unaffected as Google removed the app from its Play Store following government announcement. The move comes after NEET (UG) was rocked by a paper leak scandal last month, prompting tighter security measures for national exams.