India blocks Telegram ahead of medical entrance exam

India on Tuesday restricted access to the Telegram messaging app ahead of a retest of the country's medical college entrance examination following a controversy over an alleged question paper leak.

The move comes after the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), one of India's most competitive exams with more than two million candidates, was cancelled in May amid allegations that exam papers had been leaked and circulated through Telegram channels.

According to India's National Testing Agency (NTA), access to Telegram will remain restricted until Monday, the day of the retest. The app's message-editing feature will continue to face restrictions until June 30.

In a statement, the NTA said the measures were taken in the interest of public order and to prevent organised cheating networks from using the platform to exploit candidates.

The exam controversy, along with problems related to high school examination results, triggered public outrage and protests by students demanding the resignation of the education minister.

Reacting to the decision, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov criticised the temporary ban, saying it affected ordinary users rather than those responsible for the leak.