Sikh temple play is axed

A play which sparked a mini-riot by Sikh demonstrators is to be axed, bosses of the theatre which is staging it said today.

The Birmingham Repertory theatre said it is ending the run of Behzti - a black comedy depicting murder and sex abuse in a fictional Sikh temple - after talks with Sikh leaders ended without a compromise. The theatre has bowed to pressure from the Sikh community, which was outraged at the production.

Executive director Stuart Rodgers said it had been forced into "censorship" to avoid putting audiences in danger.

He said: "It remains a matter of great concern to us that illegal attacks and violence can be used like this. It is censorship in a way. It is our responsibilty to the people who work here, our audiences and the people of Birmingham, not to put them in a position where they could be hurt."

The theatre had been the target of a number of peaceful protests prior to Saturday's unruly scenes which left three police officers with minor injuries.

Behzti, written by actress-turnedplaywright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti - herself a Sikh - was scheduled to run until the end of December. It explores issues of sexual abuse, manipulation and relationships.

A spokeswoman for the theatre confirmed that thousands of pounds' damage was caused during the protests. She said: "The

Board and the management of Birmingham Rep strongly deplore the illegal actions of certain protesters, who caused the public evacuation of over 800 people.

"Ninety-five per cent of those evacuated were families and children who had come to see our Christmas show, The Witches, or to attend parties."

Three men arrested at the theatre on suspicion of public order offences have been bailed until the new year. The theatre has said it "totally respects" the right of the Sikh community to bring its concerns to the attention of the public.

But the spokeswoman added: "Short of bowing to blatant censorship and cancelling the production, the Rep does not believe it could have done more to enable the community to have the freedom of speech that some of its members so clearly wish to deny the playwright."