Telegram Banned Before NEET UG 2026: Ahead of the NEET UG re-examination, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has taken a significant step to curb rumors and false claims regarding paper leaks circulating on social media. The agency announced that Telegram's message-editing feature has been disabled in India until June 30. The objective is to prevent the spread of misinformation related to the exam.

How was the edit feature misused?
According to the NTA, a Telegram channel admin can edit old messages even after they have been sent. Furthermore, they can attach new PDFs or other files to previously sent messages while retaining the original timestamp. Exploiting this feature, some individuals would attach the actual question paper after the exam concluded and claim that the paper had been leaked beforehand.

Confusion spread via fake screenshots
The agency states that screenshots of these edited messages were rapidly circulated on social media. This created confusion among students and parents, leading them to believe that the exam question paper had been available beforehand. According to the NTA, such activities are entirely misleading and intended solely to spread rumors.

Decision taken in view of the June 21 re-examination

The NEET UG re-examination is scheduled for June 21. This decision was taken to ensure that no one could make false claims of a paper leak using edited messages after the exam, thereby preserving the credibility of the examination process.

Temporary restriction on Telegram access

To curb fraud and misinformation related to the exam, access to Telegram in India has also been temporarily restricted until June 22, following directives from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Meanwhile, the government and the NTA are continuously monitoring online activities.

Students and Parents Being Targeted
The NTA reported that certain Telegram channels were making false promises to provide the exam paper in exchange for money from students and their parents. These channels operated under names such as "PAPER LEAKED NEET," "Re-NEET 2026," "Private Mafia," and "REE NEET MAFIAA." The agency clarified that the exam question paper is kept under secure arrangements and is not accessible to anyone before the examination.

NTA Issues Warning
The agency has urged candidates not to fall prey to any individual, website, or Telegram channel claiming to provide the exam paper. The NTA states that all such claims are fraudulent and are being used to scam students. All official information regarding the examination should be obtained solely through the NTA's authorized channels.

Social media