A PLAY which sparked a violent demonstration by Sikh protesters was withdrawn last night because of fears for the safety of theatre audiences.

Birmingham Repertory Theatre halted performances of Behzti, which depicts scenes of rape, murder and corruption in a Sikh temple, after religious leaders said that they could not guarantee that protests would be peaceful. Campaigners for freedom of expression said that it was a sad day when a piece of theatre fell victim to violence.

The theatre said that it believed that some factions within the Sikh community had rejected compromise.

Demonstrations against Behzti (Dishonour), written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, a Sikh playwright, became violent on Saturday when hundreds of protesters stormed the theatre, smashing windows and breaking equipment.

The performance was halted and, after the failure yesterday of negotiations between police, Sikh leaders and the theatre management, the week-long run was cancelled.

Stuart Rogers, the theatre’s executive director, said: “Sadly, community leaders have been unable to guarantee to us that there will be no repeat of the illegal and violent activities that we witnessed on Saturday.

“It is now clear that we cannot guarantee the safety of our audiences.”

Barry Hugill, of Liberty, the human rights group, said: “People have every right not to go to a play, to boycott it, to peacefully protest but they have no right to physically force a play to be called off.

“It signals to other groups that if they want to suppress a play or a book they can use these tactics.”

The play is billed as a black comedy about a widowed woman whose late husband had a homosexual affair with a Sikh elder before killing himself. The elder has sexually abused young girls in the temple (gurdwara) and, when confronted, rapes the woman’s daughter. He is then killed in the temple with a Sikh ceremonial sword by the mother and another of his victims.

Protesters wanted the setting changed to a community centre, saying that locating it in a temple was sacrilegious.

Sewa Singh Mandla, the chairman of the Council of Sikh Gurdwaras in Birmingham and one of the protest leaders, said that the play, if allowed to continue, would cause “deep hurt” to his community.

“In a Sikh temple, sexual abuse does not take place,” he said. “Kissing and dancing don’t take place, rape doesn’t take place, homosexual activity doesn’t take place, murders do not take place.”

Two decades ago, Mr Mandla was involved in a high- profile court case that made history by giving Sikhs recognition as a racial group under British discrimination laws.

The House of Lords ruled in 1983 that Mr Mandla’s son, Gurinder Singh Mandla, had the right to wear a turban at a Birmingham school. The head teacher had claimed that as a Christian school turbans were “objectionable”.

The ruling was the first to recognise Sikhs under the Race Relations Act 1976, rather than solely as a religion.

SIKH BELIEFS

Gurpurbs are Sikh festivals associated with the lives of the Gurus

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