Indian protesters burn images of Shetty and Gere

Angry crowds in several Indian cities burned effigies of Richard Gere, a day after he swept up Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty in his arms and kissed her several times during an Aids-awareness event.

Indian protesters turned their ire from Jade Goody to their own Shilpa Shetty today, as right-wing Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena set fire to glamour shots of the Celebrity Big Brother winner in Mumbai.

Angry crowds in several Indian cities also burned effigies of actor Richard Gere, a day after he swept up Shetty in his arms and kissed her several times during an Aids-awareness event.

Similar protests broke out in other cities, including Varanasi, Hinduism's holiest city, and in the northern town of Meerut, where crowds chanted "Down with Shilpa Shetty".

In a country where sex and public displays of affection are largely taboo, photographs of Gere embracing Shetty and kissing her on the cheek were printed on newspapers' front pages.

The two appeared at a press conference on Sunday in New Delhi to highlight the HIV and Aids epidemic among India's truck drivers.

In front of a cheering crowd, Gere kissed Shetty on the hand, then kissed her on both cheeks before embracing her to kiss her more.