NEW DELHI (Reuters) — A bunch representing Indian startups has requested the nation’s antitrust watchdog to order Alphabet Inc’s Google to reinstate apps it eliminated for coverage violations, a letter seen by Reuters reveals, escalating a showdown with the U.S. large in a key market.

Google on Friday eliminated greater than 100 Indian apps, together with standard ones by Matrimony.com, for not complying with its coverage of paying a service price when in-app fee choices aside from Google’s are used.

The startups have now taken the problem to Competition Commission of India (CCI). The Commission has already spent months wanting into startups’ criticism that Google just isn’t following a 2022 antitrust directive that forestalls it from taking antagonistic measures towards corporations which use alternate billing techniques. Google denies wrongdoing.

The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) in its March 1 letter to the CCI stated Google’s choice to take away apps was a “brazen move” which was anti-competitive and the regulator ought to ask the corporate to reverse its choice.

Google’s transfer will trigger “irreparable harm to the entire market”, ADIF stated within the letter, which isn’t public.

Google declined to touch upon the letter. ADIF and CCI didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

The app removing has sparked criticism from Indian corporations, a lot of which have been at odds with Google for years and criticised its practices. Google, which says it’s in compliance, has maintained its in-app price helps develop and promote the Android and Play Store ecosystem.

The dispute centres on efforts by some Indian startups to cease Google from imposing a price of 11%-26% on in-app funds, after the nation’s antitrust authorities ordered it to not implement an earlier price of 15%-30%.

India’s IT minister on Saturday stated such removing of apps by Google “cannot be permitted”.

Startup executives on Monday met India’s deputy IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar who informed them he was involved by the removing of the apps and that his ministry will write to Google to make sure they’re reinstated, in accordance with two folks conversant in the talks.

Chandrasekhar later wrote on X that he’ll take up the matter with Google “for a sustainable and long-term solution”.