Bajrang Dal, the youth arm of Vishva Hindu Parishad, burned a copy of the Kamasutra in front of a bookstore. According to Bajrang Dal, the Kamasutra has inappropriately depicted Hindu gods. Referring to the various sexual positions shown in the books, calling the positions “vulgar” poses an “objectional depiction of Lord Krishna.” The copy the group burned was taken from Latitude, a book chain and gift store located in Ahmedabad.

In an interview in a local news outlet, the president of Bajrang Dal’s North Gujarat chapter, Jwalit Mehta, explained that they received tips about a particular book store in Ahmedabad that sells a book that depicts Hindu gods in an “objectional” way.

Aside from a violent protest against a book that promotes positive sexuality, the group also threatened to burn the book store if they continued selling copies of the Kamasutra. “This is also a warning to bookstore owners in Ahmedabad that if they keep objectionable material that hurt Hindu sentiments, next time we will set fire to their shops,” Mehta said.

The Bajrang Dal is a youth group grounded on Hindutva ideologies but inclines right-wing extremism. Their protests were focused on the sexually inspired illustrations in the Kamasutra; these new illustrations were given life by Utsav Bhattacharya using the Hindu god Krishna as the model for the sex positions.

Kama Sutra, a book written using Sanskrit, was published by Vatsyayana, an Indian philosopher, more than 2000 years ago. The Kama Sutra’s appeal lies beyond its surreal exploration of sexuality, involving various experimental sex positions. Some are designed to facilitate penetration; others are just novel. But the most fascinating part of this Sanskrit text is that it did not involve caste. Instead, it presents sex as an equalizer, a universal language, something everyone shares and enjoys.

As of the writing of this article, no local news outlet published any official statement from the bookstore chain.