Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat, visiting Madhya Pradesh's Indore city Sunday, faced protests from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists for allegedly denigrating Indian culture.

Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the ruling BJP, burnt the starlet's effigies and tore her posters.

"Mallika is going against the Indian culture by exposing herself in movies. We are protesting her visit to Indore," said Abhijeet Singh, a BJYM activist.

She was in the city to inaugurate a fashion store where her fans nearly mobbed her in an attempt to get closer to the actress. When stopped, they clashed with security personnel.

Police had a tough time controlling a crazy crowd that had gathered to catch a glimpse of film actress Mallika Sherawat, who had come to inaugurate a showroom at Modern Treasure Island here.

"The fans of the actress clashed with the security personnel. Some people have sustained minor injuries, but the actress was not harmed," said a senior official of Indore police.

Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel had been deployed to rein in the crowd in view of Mallika's visit.

The Bollywood star was brought to the showroom amidst tight security. She was taken through the back door after the inauguration of the showroom, to avoid the crowd.

She could not interact with the mediapersons due to the chaos.