Sunny Leone's Play with love this Navratri ad. PHOTO: @DeepakNair1991/TWITTER
The image of Sunny Leone, a Canadian actress of Indian origin, advertising contraceptives ahead of the religious celebration of Navratri proved too much for some in the western state of Gujarat.
The advertisement features no image of a condom, but stoked outrage in conservative India for its slogan "Play with love this Navratri".
In a written complaint, the Confederation of All India Traders accused the condom manufacturer behind the risque ad of taking marketing "to an all-time low".
"This is an immature attempt to boost sales by putting all our cultural value at stake", the traders group said in a statement.
Hundreds flood Kochi streets to catch a glimpse of Sunny Leone
The group took particular umbrage at the link between sex and Navratri, a nine-day Hindu festival of fasting and prayer.
Local authorities in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, removed the advertisements as controversy mounted.
Leone is brand ambassador for Manforce, India's largest condom manufacturer, and one of its most searched celebrities online.
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