Telegram CEO Criticises India's Restriction, Calls it 'Collective Punishment' of 150 Million Users

New Delhi: Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has ridiculed India's decision to temporarily restrict the messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination, describing the move as "collective punishment" of over 150 million ordinary users for the actions of a handful of individuals who leaked exam content. Writing on X, Durov said the ban had failed to prevent examination fraud and had only succeeded in pushing illegal activity to other applications.

India's Ministry of Information Technology imposed the week-long temporary block on Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21. The original NEET examination had been mired in controversy after question papers were leaked through Telegram channels bearing names such as "Paper Leaked NEET" and "Re-NEET 2026", leading to the cancellation of the exam.

Durov pointed out that the restrictions had disrupted communications for a large section of India's population that relies on Telegram for personal messaging, business, and education — noting that India is one of the platform's largest markets.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), meanwhile, maintained that the action targeted organised fraud networks that had been under surveillance for months, and reiterated that claims of question papers being available outside the official examination system were false.