NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter yesterday to a Telengana legislator talking about a "sinister design to use social media to poison our collective conscience" in the run up to next year's general elections in the country.

The Congress chief was referring to recent incidents of mob violence , and in particular, about the lynching of Telengana techie Mohammad Azam, in Karnataka 's Bidar late last week.

Rahul further said social media is being used to "largely target members of minorities and other marginalized groups" and that it "needs to be exposed and fought against."

Azam, who worked for Google , was lynched by a mob at Murki village in Karnataka on July 14 following a series of messages shared on WhatsApp warning locals that child kidnappers were on the loose. Azam had stopped by to casually distribute chocolates to some children.

Azam's killing is the latest in a line of lynchings across India, with people either beaten up or killed on suspicion of being child abductors. This has prompted the government to ask social media operators such as WhatsApp to clamp down on rumours.

In the letter to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Rahul said he was "saddened" by loss of life.

"I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of Hyderabad resident, Mr. Mohammad Azam due to lynching in Bidar district in Karnataka. The loss of an innocent life due to rumours fuelled by social media must be condemned in the strongest manner possible," Rahul Gandhi said in his letter to the TPCC President.

The Congress chief said such incidents needs to be fought against.

"While this unfortunate incident occurred in Karnataka, we must step up our efforts to fight against such incidents in Telangana. Support could also be extended to organizations and individuals working towards creating public awareness against such social media rumours," wrote Rahul in his letter.

