Indian Media Highlight Controversy over Mumbai Property Advert

The advert, posted by an agent on popular property website 99acres.com, sought applications from those seeking to rent a flat in Mumbai, but allegedly said "Muslims not allowed".

The ad was removed after prominent activist Shehzad Poonawalla filed a petition with the National Commission for Minorities seeking action against the agent and the website, the CNN-IBN website reports.

House owners' discrimination against particular communities in the city of Mumbai is not rare, but this is perhaps the first time a leading website allowed such an ad to be posted, reports say.

Mr Poonawala told the NDTV website that such stereotypes need strict condemnation.

"This advertisement is only a symptom of the stereotype and prejudice that exists in society... I would advise 99 acres to immediately apologise unconditionally to the Muslims because there is an outrage against this advertisement," he told the NDTV.

The 99acres.com has also apologised over the incident and has promised to take measures to avoid such issues in the future.

"We are in the process of putting in place more rigorous checks and processes to prevent the recurrence of such listings. We are deeply embarrassed that our site was misused in this manner," the website said in a statement.

Some reports say such discrimination is not only limited to one community as other groups like gay and lesbians too face difficulties while trying to rent or buy properties in Mumbai.