The Indian government has announced a temporary block on the Telegram messaging app, citing concerns it is being used for cheating just days before a crucial medical entrance exam is set to be reheld. Millions of students are scheduled to retake the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) on June 21 after the May exam was cancelled over allegations of a paper leak.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, welcomed the move, stating it was in response to the “organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates.” However, internet users and rights activists have criticized the ban, calling it a “band-aid solution” that fails to address the larger problem of exam fraud. Telegram has not yet issued a statement; the BBC has contacted the platform for comment.
The platform remained accessible to users in India hours after the government's announcement, and it is unclear how the curb will be enforced. The controversy has brought NEET-UG back into the spotlight. Nearly 2.28 million candidates took the exam on May 3 at over 5,000 centers, but the NTA scrapped it days later following protests over alleged paper leaks. The Central Bureau of Investigation is probing the case, with over a dozen arrests made so far.
On Tuesday, the NTA said India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had directed Telegram to restrict access until June 22, the day after the retest. The ministry also asked the app to disable the message-editing feature until June 30, claiming it had been used to “fabricate” evidence of paper leaks. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has reportedly taken down numerous Telegram channels, groups, and bots that advertised fraudulent services.
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) criticized the ban as reactive and ineffective, arguing it punishes ordinary users instead of addressing systemic issues. “The block of Telegram is reactive and ineffective and will punish ordinary users instead of addressing the systemic source of exam leaks,” IFF said, noting that many students rely on Telegram for study groups and resources.
Source: www.bbc.com