WhatsApp, like Facebook and Twitter, has seen hate speech flourish minute after minute. After the recent Delhi riots, the Government of Delhi has started taking steps to curb the menace of hate-filled messages on the messaging app.

As reported by ANI, the Delhi government feels that loads of hate material have been circulated on WhatsApp. "If anyone receives any such material, he/she should immediately file a complaint with the government. The Delhi Government will issue a WhatsApp number on which such complaints can be made," the news agency report says.

"An official will screen all the complaints received. The complaints which are genuine would then be forwarded to the police for necessary action," the ANI report adds.

Similar steps are likely to be undertaken by other States in the coming years. "With the communal situation deteriorating, police agencies and law and order machinery have to be prepared to stem out hate speech on WhatsApp," a commentator says.