India blocks Telegram till June 22 ahead of NEET-UG retest, disables message editing till June 30
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In an unprecedented move, India has temporarily restricted access to the messaging platform Telegram across the country until June 22, and disabled its message-editing feature until June 30. The drastic action by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), taken under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, aims to combat widespread fraud and the fabrication of 'paper leak' evidence ahead of the crucial NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. The National Testing Agency (NTA) recommended the measures, citing the platform's organized misuse by cheating rackets to deceive millions of medical aspirants. The government's intervention comes in the wake of the original NEET-UG exam on May 3 being cancelled on May 12, following allegations of a massive paper leak that triggered nationwide protests and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. The NTA specifically flagged Telegram message editing feature, which allows administrators to alter older messages—including replacing attachments with actual question papers—while retaining original timestamps, thereby creating false proof of prior leaks. This structural vulnerability has enabled fraudsters to extort significant sums from anxious students by selling non-existent or fabricated exam materials. As the NEET-UG re-examination looms on June 21, the temporary block on Telegram underscores India's zero-tolerance stance against exam malpractice, albeit at the cost of inconveniencing legitimate users, a point highlighted by Telegram founder Pavel Durov. Beyond the digital clampdown, authorities have implemented a multi-layered security apparatus for the retest, including Indian Air Force (IAF) transport of question papers, deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, Artificial Intelligence (AI) monitoring, and biometric checks at examination centers. The next few weeks will test the efficacy of these combined measures in restoring integrity to India's most competitive entrance examination.