In its notice, I4C said that the app enables communication even during network restrictions and creates a substantial risk of misuse by anti-national elements, terrorist organisations, organised criminal groups and cyber criminals seeking to evade lawful detection and continue communication despite legally imposed restrictions.

The order targets Bitchat, an offline Bluetooth mesh app built to relay encrypted messages and bitcoin transactions, as 'Cockroach Janta Party' protesters in Delhi use mesh tools…

The order gave GitHub three hours to pull three code repositories, citing the messaging app's use during protest internet shutdowns.