An American writer and presenter has come under fire for eating a human brain in his new TV documentary.

In the first episode of CNN's new series Believer, presenter Reza Aslan met with the Aghori, a nomadic religious sect based in India. The Aghori worship the Hindu deity Shiva, but reject many of the tenets of Hinduism and practice a range of unusual ceremonies, including cannibalism.

While staying with the Aghori, Aslan drank alcohol from a human skull, and ate a cooked piece of brain. He later wrote on Facebook: "Want to know what a dead guy’s brain tastes like? Charcoal. It was burnt to a crisp!"

Critics have attacked the programme, claiming its focus on the Aghori sect misrepresents Hinduism as a whole.