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India saw an unprecedented surge in VPN downloads after the government temporarily restricted access to Telegram, with nearly 919,000 VPN apps downloaded in a single day. The spike came shortly after authorities blocked the messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination over concerns that leaked exam material was being shared through the app.
The numbers reflect Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s warning about users looking for ways around the ban instead of not using the service altogether.
Data from app intelligence firms revealed that June 17 saw the highest number of downloads in one day for a VPN application in India this year. This happened at the same time when Telegram X, an alternate Telegram client, witnessed a surge in its download count, with the number going beyond 350,000.
While the government defended the move as a ‘last resort’ to curb the circulation of leaked papers, it acknowledged the disruption caused and apologized for the inconvenience.
Durov also criticized the ban as it affects millions of common citizens instead of the criminals behind the paper leak. He said, “the ban hasn't stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps.” The temporary restriction is scheduled to be lifted on 22 June, 2026.
