India blocked access to the messaging app Telegram on Thursday ahead of a retake of a national examination required for admission to medical colleges, following a scandal over the leaking of the exam paper last month. The incident, alongside a separate scandal involving the marking of secondary school exam results, sparked a wave of anger and ignited youth protests demanding the resignation of the education minister.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology issued an order restricting access to Telegram until 22 June, the day of the exam retake. The message-editing feature, which allows users to alter existing posts, will also remain restricted until the end of the current month.
The National Testing Agency said in a statement that "these two measures were taken to preserve public order and in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating networks to defraud candidates."
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is one of the most competitive examinations in the country, attracting more than 2 million students aspiring to study medicine.
The results of the May examinations were cancelled following allegations that questions had been leaked in advance and circulated through channels on the Telegram app. India's Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the mastermind behind the leak.
The agency indicated that he is a chemistry lecturer who participated in setting the exam on behalf of the testing agency. This scandal came on top of another relating to an electronic marking system used for the examinations of approximately 2 million secondary school students.