India temporarily bans Telegram over exam paper leak concerns
Key takeaways
- Millions of students will retake the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) on 21 June after the exam held in May was cancelled over allegations of a paper leak.
- The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, welcomed the move, saying that it was taken in response to the "organised use of the platform [Telegram] by cheating rackets to defraud candidates".
- But internet users and rights activists have criticised the ban, calling it a "band-aid solution" to tackle a much larger problem of exam fraud.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Cherylann Mollan Getty Images Protests had erupted across India after the NEET 2026 exam was scrapped over allegations of a paper leak India has temporarily blocked the Telegram app over concerns it may be used for cheating, days before a crucial medical entrance exam is set to be reheld.
Millions of students will retake the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) on 21 June after the exam held in May was cancelled over allegations of a paper leak.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, welcomed the move, saying that it was taken in response to the "organised use of the platform [Telegram] by cheating rackets to defraud candidates".