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Congress person Rahul Gandhi connected Wednesday (June 17, 2026) slammed the authorities aft it temporarily restricted entree to Telegram, saying the “new trick” was akin to putting a fastener connected the victim’s location alternatively of catching the thief.
Telegram has stopped moving for existing users successful India aft the Centre temporarily restricted entree to the messaging app up of the June 21 NEET-UG re-examination, but it continues to stay operational done the Virtual Protocol Network (VPN).
Google delisted the app connected Tuesday (June 16, 2026), and Apple’s Appstore has besides removed it present successful compliance with the authorities bid to artifact entree to the app.
In a station successful Hindi connected X, Mr. Gandhi said, “Telegram Ban — Modi government’s caller instrumentality to halt insubstantial leaks. Meaning, alternatively of catching the thief, conscionable enactment a fastener connected the victim’s door.”
“Lakhs of students person been studying connected Telegram for years — notes, trial series, discussions, preparation. How does snatching that installation go the solution to insubstantial leaks? And it’s not adjacent foolproof – each pupil successful the state knows this, and truthful does the insubstantial leak mafia. So, who volition the adjacent prohibition beryllium on? WhatsApp?” helium said.
“On exam day, students volition beryllium frisked. Pockets volition beryllium chopped unfastened with scissors. Question papers volition beryllium sent via the Air Force. There won’t beryllium immoderate shortage of theatrics. But not a azygous onslaught astatine the basal of the illness — due to the fact that the insubstantial leak mafia is thriving nether this precise government’s ticker and making the younker weep tears of blood. Modi Ji — driblet the theatrics. Strike astatine the mafia, not the students,” helium said.
Listen to the “Chhatron ki goonj (echo of students)” — oregon other the younker of the state cognize however to assertion their rights, Mr. Gandhi said.
In different station successful Hindi, the person of the Opposition successful the Lok Sabha said helium has acceptable retired for Kota, but 2 names are echoing successful his bosom — Umesh and Riya.
“Yesterday, Umesh successful Sikar and Riya successful Dehradun—both ended their lives nether the unit of Re-NEET. 22- and 23-year-old kids—who were meant to soar successful the unfastened skies of their dreams—lost to this unjust system. These deaths are the effect of a broken, corrupt system,” helium said.
“And the ones liable are the Modi authorities and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who, alternatively of protecting students, person repeatedly shielded insubstantial leaks, exam mismanagement, and the destroyers of futures,” helium alleged.
“Today, from Kota, we volition statesman that combat with conscionable 1 goal—that nary child’s dreams shatter similar this again, that nary genitor ever has to suffer their kid successful this mode again. Every family’s symptom volition present echo crossed the state arsenic the ‘chhatron ki goonj’,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Congress wide caput Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Rahul Gandhi has rightly stated that determination is simply a request to onslaught not against students, but against mafias.
“Today, determination are galore specified things successful the country’s acquisition strategy and the full introspection strategy volition request to beryllium reformed,” she told reporters successful New Delhi.
The authorities connected Tuesday (June 16, 2026) temporarily restricted entree to the Telegram up of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) saying the measurement is aimed astatine tackling cheating rackets and misinformation.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the regularisation connected Telegram till June 22 is portion of efforts to guarantee that the June 21 retest is conducted without malpractice.
“We volition not fto thing spell wrong. We volition instrumentality each imaginable actions to guarantee that the introspection is conducted without immoderate malpractice,” Mr. Singh had told PTI, erstwhile asked astir the move.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticised the regularisation connected the app successful India, saying, “Banning it, adjacent temporarily, is simply a mistake.” In a station connected X, Mr. Durov said, “India’s IT ministry banned Telegram for 1 week due to the fact that immoderate users shared leaked exam questions. This punishes 150M+ mean Telegram users successful India — not the insiders who leaked the exam materials. And the prohibition hasn’t stopped anything. The leaks conscionable moved to different apps.”
