Another Indian state bans The Da Vinci Code

Jun 1, 2006, 11:47 GMT

New Delhi - Southern Indian Tamil Nadu state has banned the screening of the controversial film The Da Vinci Code following protests by the Christian community, an official release said Thursday.

The order came a day before the movie, based on Dan Brown's best selling novel, was scheduled to open in cinema halls in the state.

The movie opened in theatres across India last Friday, but the Tamil Nadu government had delayed the release by a week.

Tamil Nadu is the second Indian state where the movie has been banned. Last week, the government of northern Punjab state said it would not allow theatres to show the film.

There is a large minority of Christians in Tamil Nadu, comprising 6.1 per cent of the state's 63-million population.

'The screening of the film may lead to demonstrations and disturb peace and tranquility in the state,' the official release said.

Members of Christian organizations held demonstrations in the Tamil Nadu capital Chennai on Wednesday protesting against the film.

'The goverment has taken cognizance of the various reports and complaints by the minority communities, particularly the Christian community, regarding the proposed screening of the movie,' the statement added.

It said the decision to suspend the screening had been taken as 'it may hurt the religious feelings and sentiments of the Christian community.'

Dan Brown's novel challenges traditional teachings about the life of Jesus by saying he was married and fathered a child.

The book's plot is a murder-mystery involving a conspiracy by Opus Dei, a real-life conservative Catholic group, to cover up the truth about Jesus' bloodline.

Roman Catholics make up a majority of the Christian population in India. Christians form 2.4 per cent of India's billion-plus population, 82 per cent of whom are Hindu and 12 per cent Muslim.