A group of Indian activists calling for a law prosecuting corrupt government officials, including the prime minister and judges, has received a threat that their supporters will be pricked with needles tainted with HIV.

The threat was declared in an anonymous letter sent to the Delhi police central office on Dec. 9. The letter said a "needle group" consisting of 50 volunteers will prick 1,000 supporters of Anna Hazare with 500 HIV-contaminated needles if he continues to lobby for the passage of the Lokpal (citizen's ombudsman) bill..

But the Hazare group dismissed the threat as a tactic to scare people supporting Hazare's anti-corruption campaign. IBN7.com quoted Manish Sisodia as telling IAN that the threat aims to discourage people from attending Hazare's rallies.

The Aids Society of India (ASI), a professional body of doctors and researchers in HIV care, and the People's Health Organisation (PHO), a non-government organisation advocating Aids control, said the threat is a misinformation that can cause panic.

The ASI said it is difficult to get infected with HIV through needles contaminated with the AIDS virus, which does not survive outside the human body for long.

The ASI also said that the HIV virus cannot be transmitted through water and eatables even if these are contaminated with blood. It added that there is no documented case of HIV infection through such transmission.

Meanwhile, the police is investigating the anonymous letter.

India's anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare.