Twitter, Facebook and GooglePlus now face an uphill struggle in freedom of content in India after government sources said that the internet, especially social media, would be closely monitored in the wake of rising rumours circulating online about violence in Assam.

This week saw 18,000 North East Indians fleeing Bangalore (11,000) and Pune (7,000) after threatening text messages were circulated suggesting they would be targeted.

This morning the Indian Government banned Bulk SMS and MMS text messaging for the next 15 days, meaning no cellphone user can send a message to more than 5 people. They did this after the spread of rumours that circulated in Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad saw thousands flee the city.

Speaking to NDTV, Junior Telecom Minister Sachin Pilot said that social media sites have been "asked to take down objectionable content". He cautioned that the government is not in favour of banning Facebook or Twitter even for a few days, as one MP suggested today in Parliament.