What do BGP hacking, Telegram ban in India and WhatsApp have in common

More importantly, the problems cited by Indian authorities are not unique to Telegram (File) | Photo credit: REUTERS

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has leveled serious allegations against Reliance, alleging that Reliance disrupted access to Telegram for users outside India through a practice known as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijacking.

The allegation, which was made public on the X platform, reignited the debate over internet infrastructure, platform competition and government regulation. The claims remain unverified and Reliance has not responded publicly.

Published – 17 Jun 2026 09:15 IST