Reporter forced to eat human brain with cannibal peoples while wearing crown made out of teeth

If you're eating your dinner or generally a squeamish person, then you might want to look away now.

In 2017, a reporter 'immersed' himself in a cannibalistic tribe's way of living and ate their local delicacies (if you can call it that).

Reza Aslan worked on the CNN series Believer, where he travelled round the globe to learn about different religions.

He visited places like Mexico City, Israel, and Haiti - but it was the episode in India that really got people talking.

Warning: Graphic Content

In the programme, Aslan met with a Hindu sect known as the Aghori, which derived from the Kāpālika tradition.

During his time with the sect, he was offered what they said was a piece of human brain to eat.

Speaking out on Facebook about the experience, Aslan said the brains tasted of charcoal - adding that it was 'burnt to a crisp'.

Elsewhere in the episode, he also wore a necklace made of human body parts and had his face smeared with cremated human ashes.

At the time the series aired, Believer received criticism from some people in the wake of the gruesome nature of some of the episodes.

Reza Aslan travelled round the world for the controversial series (CNN)

"It is unbelievably callous and reckless of CNN to be pushing sensational and grotesque images of bearded brown men and their morbid and deathly religion at a time when the United States is living through a period of unprecedented concern and fear," Vamsee Juluri, a media studies professor at the University of San Francisco, said.

Elsewhere, the US-India Political Action Committee said in a statement: "With multiple reports of hate-fuelled attacks against people of Indian origin from across the US, the show characterises Hinduism as cannibalistic, which is a bizarre way of looking at the third largest religion in the world."

A member of the Aghori sect seen wearing a crown made of teeth (CNN)

The organisation went on: "In a charged environment, a show like this can create a perception about Indian Americans which could make them more vulnerable to further attacks."

Tulsi Gabbard, who was the first Hindu to be elected to the US congress, also accused CNN of 'using its power and influence to increase people’s misunderstanding and fear of Hinduism'.

With the controversy in mind, the series didn't do very well with critics and the general public.

On IMDb, Believer has an average score of 5.6/10, with almost half of its votes being one-star.

Believer with Reza Aslan isn't currently available on any streaming platforms at the time of writing.

Topics: India, Film and TV, Life