In the wake of an American pastor's plan to burn copies of the holy Quran on September 11, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday asked the media to exercise restraint over the issue to help maintain peace and harmony.

The home minister also condemned the action of the religious leader and said it was aimed at increasing 'bitterness and strife' between religious groups.

"We condemn the action of the pastor. It is totally unbecoming of anyone who claims to be a man of religion. We hope that the US authorities will take strong action to prevent such an outrage being committed," he said.

"While we await the action of the US authorities, we would appeal to the media in India -- both the print and the visual media -- to refrain from telecasting visuals or publishing photographs of the deplorable act," Chidambaram said in a statement.

"No one who is interested in maintaining harmony and peace among different sections of the people can condone such action," he said.

Pastor Terry Jones has threatened to burn copies of the Quran to mark the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Besides the US authorities, religious leaders all over the world have also condemned his proposed action.

"We would also appeal to the media to exercise great restraint over the next couple of days and help in maintaining communal peace and harmony," the home minister said.