New Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS): Amid concerns in the government over misuse of social media, Intelligence Bureau chief Asif Ibrahim Saturday suggested that foreign content providers on the internet be brought within the ambit of Indian laws.

Speaking at the annual Directors General of Police (DGPs) conference here, Ibrahim said there had been instance of misuse of social media to fan communal violence.

He said "a disturbing trend" was of rural areas, which have a long tradition of people living in harmony, being affected by communal violence.

He said malicious content was sometimes deliberately loaded on the internet and security forces had limitations in acting against the culprits.

"The legal framework is evolving," he said and suggested bringing the content providers into the ambit of the Indian law.

The conference was also addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Ibrahim said that emphasis on strengthening non-lethal capacities of police, as suggested by the prime minister in the past, had helped in reducing casualties in Jammu and Kashmir during protests in the aftermath of hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru this year.

He said there were three casualties during protests over Afzal Guru's hanging compared to 113 during the agitation in the state in 2010.

Ibrahim said emphasis should be laid on indigenously developed hardware in tackling issues of cyber security.

He said terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen continued to target security forces in Jammu and Kashmir to generate disproportionate response which could result in civilian casualties.

Ibrahim said that Indian Mujahideen continues to act at the behest of "its mentors in Pakistan".