Pakistan, June 17 -- Telegram founder Pavel Durov has criticised India's temporary restriction on the messaging platform, arguing that the move disrupted access for more than 150 million users without effectively stopping the spread of leaked examination material. The dispute emerged ahead of the rescheduled NEET-UG medical entrance examination, a high-stakes test involving hundreds of thousands of students across the country.

Durov said the restrictions failed to address the core issue because individuals sharing leaked content simply shifted to other platforms. While acknowledging that Telegram had been used to circulate examination-related material, he questioned whether blocking an entire service was a proportionate response when onl...