Delhi Bomb Blast Brings Telegram Back in Scrutiny As Police Probes Pro-Khalistani Angle 

On October 20, an explosion took place in Delhi in Rohini at a CRPF school. This led to damage to the school walls. No causality was reported because of the incident, but windowpanes of nearby vehicles and signboards of shops were damaged. 

Soon after this, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi blamed the central government and mentioned that the situation is similar to that of Mumbai’s underworld era. She wrote on X, “This is why Delhi's situation is now that of Mumbai during the era of the Underworld. Bullets are being fired in the open, gangsters are extorting money, and criminals are upbeat.” In response to it, the BJP spokesperson called her “puppet CM.”

As the political blame game continues, the Delhi police launched an investigation into the issue. A senior police official reportedly said that the attackers wanted to send a warning message. 

As per PTI, the police have been probing if there is a possible Khalistani link to the ongoing incident. This comes after a pro-Khalistan channel, Telegram channel ’Justice League India', has claimed that they were responsible for the CRPF school explosion. 

The investigation into the Khalistan angle started after the Justice League channel posted a video of the attack with the slogan "Khalistan Zindabad." Along with the clip, the channel also reportedly posted, “If Indian coward agencies and their masters think they can hire filthy goons to target our members to silence our voice, then they live in a fools world. They can't imagine how close we are to them and how capable we are to strike anytime #KhalistanZindabad #JLI.”

Read: Telegram’s Troubles Mount as UN Report Finds Platform’s Misuse as Underground Market

Telegram's Dark Side

Amid the ongoing situation, the Delhi police have said that they are probing all angles. As per Indian Express, Amit Goel, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rohini, said, “It’s difficult to say anything at this stage... investigation is underway.” 

The police have also reportedly written to Telegram about the ongoing situation. Following this, the police reportedly wrote to the social media platform to know more about the Justice League Indian group. A police source told PTI, “The police have written to Telegram to know details of the creator of the group—Justice League Indian—in which the CCTV of the blast was shared with a Khalistan Zindabad watermark on it.” 

The Delhi bomb blast has created a sense of fear for the national capital, which already has a history of several blasts. One being the 2008 serial blasts that occurred in Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, and Greater Kailash in Delhi. This led to the deaths of around 26 people. 

Another thing that is gaining prominence right now is the way social media platforms—Telegram in particular here—are being used by extremist groups to promote their message or carry out activities. While there is no detailed report about how Telegram is being used by Justice League Indian right now as the investigation is still underway, the social media platform has been under the radar of the government in the past as well. The platform, reports indicate, has become the favorite spot for underworld criminals. 

In the context of India, the platform was being scrutinised for its alleged link with the leak of NET exam papers, and more. Addressing the issue of the NET exam paper leak, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan reportedly said that it has become a task to track the complex nature of Telegram from where the exam leak happened without a high-level investigation.

Cybercrime and stock market manipulation have also become rampant on the social media platform. So much so that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) imposed fines on several Telegram channels time and again for stock market manipulation. In May this year, the regulator fined Rs 11.90 crore on 19 entities for being a part of a pump and dump scheme of shares with regards to Superior Finlease Ltd. In an order, Sebi whole-time member Ashwani Bhatia reportedly said, “Further, the use of telegram channels to disseminate messages to unsuspecting investors led to a huge surge in trading volume in the share prices of SFL on the recommendation day.” 

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Acknowledges Loopholes

The scrutiny against Telegram increased worldwide after the arrest of its CEO Pavel Durov by French authorities on August 25. The arrest was made due to allegations that his platform was being used for drug trafficking, illegal transactions, and also proliferation of images of child sex abuse. Further, the authorities also alleged that the social media platform was not cooperating with law enforcement authorities. 

Speaking about the loopholes in his app, Durov reportedly said, “Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950 million caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.” 

The issue of the social media platform being used for underground activities is widespread. A New York Times investigation published in September 2024 found that there were 1,500 channels that were operated by white supremacists. These channels coordinated various activities around the world among one million people. Rebecca Weiner, deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, New York Police Department, told the Times that the social media platform is “the most popular place for ill-intentioned, violent actors to congregate.” 

Terrorist groups also use the app to announce the terrorist activities that have been conducted by them or for instigating violence. One example of the same is how a terrorist based out of Pakistan in August this year asked his followers to derail trains in Delhi and Mumbai via Telegram. 

The Australian eSafety Commissioner reportedly mentioned in March this year that the social media platform is being used most by extremist groups for terrorism and recruitments. What remains a matter of concern is if the social media platform will be able to handle this problem. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told reporters, “We don't know if they actually have the people and resources in place to even be able to respond to these notices, but we will see.” 

Meanwhile, the social media platform recently said that they made some changes in their policy amid the mounting criticism. The platform highlighted that the IP address of offenders “can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests.”

In March, the Telegram CEO also highlighted that the platform has been using AI moderation to make Telegram searches safer. The CEO reportedly said, “Telegram Search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods. We won’t let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users.” It remains to be seen what further steps the social media platform takes as scrutiny against it increases.