Indore (MP), Nov 1 (PTI) Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Friday demanded probe into the mobile phone spying through a malicious software which is alleged to have targeted journalists and rights activists in India.

The persons who were behind the snooping must be identified, the former MP said, speaking to reporters here.

"This is wrong. This should not happen with anybody. The probe must go to the root of this matter and find out who is responsible and what was the motive," Sinha, a former BJP leader, said.

"Media is the fourth pillar of democracy. If one spies on social media accounts of journalists, this pillar will be shaken and journalists' sources will be finished," he added.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp revealed on Thursday that Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using an Israeli spyware Pegasus. The spyware, it was said, was installed through a missed call on WhatsApp.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)