Internet Reacts As India Blocks Telegram Access Ahead Of NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam

Last Updated:June 16, 2026, 14:17 IST

NTA has restricted access to Telegram until June 22 and banned its message-editing tool to stop cheating rackets from fabricating fake question papers.

In a bid to protect the integrity of the upcoming NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has pulled the ultimate emergency cord. On recommendations from the NTA, the Centre has restricted access to Telegram across India until June 22, 2026.

Telegram’s Message-Editing Feature Disabled Till June 30

The government has also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30. According to the NTA, the feature has been misused in the past to fabricate “paper leak" evidence by allowing administrators to edit previously posted messages and replace attached files while retaining the original timestamp.

The NTA alleged that several Telegram channels, operating under names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET", “Re-NEET 2026" and “Private Mafia", were attempting to dupe aspirants by claiming they could provide access to the NEET question paper.

In response to this news, the internet has had myriad reactions, largely about this being a classic case of missing the forest for the trees.

Internet Reacts To NTA’s Telegram Ban

“Can’t stop paper leaks, ends up blocking telegram," posted Nisarga, the prominent whistleblower who originally exposed discrepancies in the testing system. “Blocking telegram totally isn’t even possible, telegram is designed in such a way which easily allows people to use proxies and other methods of circumvention."

The sentiment that the agency is ignoring internal security flaws is echoing loudly online. As one angry user wrote, “Right they forgetting discord reddit and other sm, and dark websites… Main problem- leakage from Paper Setters. Leakage from source itself. No one taking proper action on that."

Another student plainly questioned the core logic: “If a paper has to be leaked, there are countless ways for it to happen. Banning Telegram is not a solution… Why can’t they stop the leaks at the source bro?" Another user made a more sarcastic comment, adding, “VPN is laughing from the corner."

However, defenders of the decision pointed out that this feature ban is actually quite logical: “Its not only for this reason, 1st read fully. They used to spread rumor. They create group forward ppr then after exam ppr the admin change the pdf and claims it was circulated early 💥💥"

Another added, “It’s good to see that the government is making efforts with full seriousness to prevent paper leaks."

About the Author

Mallika BhagatDeputy News Editor

Mallika Bhagat is a Deputy News Editor at News18, where she leads the Lifestyle and Viral desks. A seasoned journalist and content strategist, she brings a decade of high-impact experience from India’...Read More

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