After a legal notice sent by Rahul Gandhi to US based Web site www.hinduunity.org, the Ez Board, which facilitated discussions for the group, has banned forums on it.

"Hinduunity.org forums on Ez board have been banned due to speaking against Rahul Gandhi. We plan to be back up shortly. Seems that freedom of speech in the United States is not a Constitutional right anymore. I hope the ACLU is watching what is going on," a message posted on the hinduunity site said.

Rahul Gandhi had sent the legal notices for alleged "perverted, scurrilous and gutter writing" against him and his family members.

Congress party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said last week that the notice had been sent against an individual named Rohit Vyasman and an entity called Ezboard Inc for launching a campaign against the Gandhi family.

"It is high time that civil society took note of this dirty campaign," Singhvi said adding, the e-mail, courier and post box number of those names were being searched to find out more details.

Though the discussion forum is no more working, the Web site is working and has published more allegations against the Gandhi family and the government of India.

"We will not back down under any circumstances. A complete and an independent investigation into this rape case must be launched immediately, and secure the rape victim and her mother from any assassination attempts by the Congress government of India. We fear for their safety. This is an atrocity, a modern-day tragedy of an innocent young lady and the retaliation to blindfold, hide and intimidate the Indian public by a ruling party that is naively revered by many as divine," Rohit Vyasmaan, chairman, of Hindu Unity, wrote on the Web site after Rahul Gandhi's legal notice.