BBC Pop Up poser on India's snake charmers sparks Twitter fury

India snake charmers BBC Pop Up — The profession of snake charmers was outlawed in India in 2003 Jayanta Dey/Reuters

The BBC Pop Up has invoked the wrath of Indian twitterati over a question on snake charmers. The BBC asked: "Should India erase its snake charming culture to embrace modernity?"

The BBC Pop UP is a travelling bureau covering stories across India and its latest topic was snake charming. When criticism emerged against one of its promotional videos which showed Indian men charming snakes, the channel went on to investigate whether the snake charmers offend the country's cultural identity.

Amid a backlash from vibrant twitter users, BBC Pop Up issued a clarification and said no offence was meant. The practice of snake-charming was outlawed by the government in 2003.

Here's how Indian Twitter users vent their fury:

@kalisbrood we didn't intend to offend. Our video from the perspective of snake charmers who no longer have a livelihood.
— BBC Pop Up (@BBCpopup) April 18, 2016

Should India erase its snake charming culture to embrace modernity? ðŸðŸ¢
— BBC Pop Up (@BBCpopup) 18 April 2016

Daily Mail sets a higher standard than BBC these days. https://t.co/WahL1Mnm40
— Gappistan Radio (@GappistanRadio) 18 April 2016

Should BBC get their heads out of their colonial arses & stop stereotyping other countries? https://t.co/lF0YvC6dvN
— blank (@atlasdanced) 18 April 2016