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NEW DELHI: As Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused India of “punishing” more than 150 million users through a temporary restriction on the platform ahead of the NEET-UG retest, the Centre and cybersecurity experts argued that the measure was designed not to suppress discussion but to break an “active ecosystem of exam-related fraud, extortion and misinformation” targeting over 22 lakh candidates.Durov said the restriction failed to stop leaks, claiming they simply migrated to other platforms, and also alleged that Reliance had disrupted Telegram access outside India through border gateway protocol hijacking.“Recent posts on X have led to speculation regarding Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (AS55836) and a BGP route misconfiguration. We categorically clarify that Jio has not been involved in any such incident. Jio continues to operate its network in accordance with global Internet routing best practices and the highest standards of reliability, security, and transparency,” Reliance Jio said on X Govt officials maintained the action was temporaryand a proportionate response to an active cyber-fraud ecosystem targeting one of India’s largest public examinations.Officials and cybersecurity professionals contended that the primary concern was not exam integrity alone but organised fraud networks exploiting anxious students. According to material prepared in support of the restriction, Telegram channels with names such as ‘PAPER LEAKED NEET’ and ‘Re-NEET 2026’ were allegedly running extortion rackets, demanding between Rs 14,000 and Rs 25,000 — and in some instances Rs 10 lakh — from candidates and parents in exchange for question papers, which did not exist.Officials also said the platform allowed administrators to edit old messages while retaining the original timestamp. Investigators claimed fraudsters used this feature to alter previously innocuous posts after the exam and these manipulated screenshots were circulated as “proof” of leaks.Neehar Pathare, MD and CEO of 63SATS Cybertech, backed the move, saying, “The future of 2.2 million students takes clear precedence over the temporary access to a single digital platform.”The episode highlighted the challenge of balancing digital freedom with public security, said Manish Chachada, co-founder and COO of cybersecurity firm Cyble, adding that fraud networks often migrate to other channels.
