India don temporarily block Telegram app, say dem fear say people dey use am for cheating, just days before one important medical entrance exam wey go happun again.
Millions of students go retake National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Undergraduate (NEET-UG) on 21 June, after the exam wey dem hold for May bin get cancelled because of allegations say the paper leak.
National Testing Agency (NTA), wey dey conduct the exam, welcome the move, saying say dem do am because of “organised use of the platform [Telegram] by cheating rackets to defraud candidates”.
But internet users and rights activists don criticise the ban, calling am “band-aid solution” to tackle bigger problem of exam fraud.
Telegram no don issue any statement yet. BBC don contact the platform for response.
The platform still dey available to users for India hours after the government announcement, and no be clear yet how dem go enforce the curb.
But e don bring NEET-UG exam – wey be gateway to join medical colleges for India – and the recent controversy surrounding am back into headlines.
For May, more dan 5,000 centres across India hold the exam. But within days, NTA cancel the exam after allegations of paper leak wey lead to widespread protests.
The case dey under investigation by Central Bureau of Investigation, and dem don make more dan dozen arrests so far.
The NEET cancellation and separate controversy related to marking issues for one crucial school-leaving exam lead to protests across India wey dey demand federal education minister resignation.
For 2024 too, NEET exam bin get rocked by allegations of paper leaks, fraud and irregularities for awarding of grace marks after thousands of candidates receive unusually high scores.
On Tuesday, NTA say India Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology don direct Telegram to restrict access to the app for India until 22 June, the day after the retest.
E add say the ministry don also ask the app to disable message-editing feature until 30 June for India, saying say dem don use am to “fabricate” evidence of paper leaks.
The testing agency also say Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) – wey dey fight cybercrime – don take down “substantial number of Telegram channels, groups and bots whose names and content openly advertise their fraudulent and misleading purpose”, acting on information wey NTA and other law enforcement agencies share.
The agency allege say operators of several channels don demand hundreds of thousands of rupees from candidates and their families for exchange of purported access to the re-examination paper, adding say “there is no such paper available outside the secured examination chain”.
The NTA add say e regret “the inconvenience” wey the ban go cause for Indians “who use the Telegram platform for legitimate personal, educational, professional and informational purposes”.
Though the agency motive for blocking the app seem to be crackdown on exam fraud, many don criticise the ban.
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) – Indian digital rights advocacy organisation – say e lack transparency and dey unconstitutional.
“The block of Telegram is reactive and ineffective and will punish ordinary users instead of addressing the systemic source of exam leaks. This blocking comes in the final days of NEET preparation, when thousands of students depend on Telegram for study groups, doubt-clearing, and shared resources,” IFF say.
E add say banning Telegram no go put stop to leaks wey dey occur from inside the education system, among insiders and across the printing and logistics chain.
