India — Telegram Blocked, BGP Hijacking Alleged Against Reliance Jio

The Indian government imposed a temporary block on Telegram in mid-June 2026, linked to concerns about leaks of the NEET national university entrance exam. Users on Reliance Jio (AS18101) found Telegram inaccessible.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov publicly accused Reliance of BGP hijacking — announcing Telegram’s IP prefixes without authorization — causing traffic disruption beyond India, including in the UAE. Durov also alleged the action was connected to Meta’s roughly 10% stake in Reliance Jio Platforms, implying the block benefited WhatsApp competitively.

Reliance Jio denied the BGP hijacking allegations. Network observers noted that a government-mandated block implemented with improper export filtering could cause route leaks globally without requiring deliberate hijacking intent.

The incident drew attention to how national-level content restrictions interact with BGP and can affect connectivity outside the restricting country’s borders.