A PROMINENT Edinburgh Fringe venue has imposed a lifetime ban on Hardeep Singh Kohli after concerns about his behaviour towards women.
Kohli – a 54-year-old presenter, chef and comedian – has been banned from all of the Pleasance’s 27 venues after multiple women came forward to accuse him of predatory and sexually abusive behaviour in the past few years.
The Pleasance made the decision following another allegation this week from a woman who told The Times that he had groped her breasts in a lift at the festival in 2013 — when she was 19 and he was 44.
“He very suddenly leant himself against me, pushing me into a wall,” she said. “He grabbed both my breasts, kissed me and pushed his leg between my legs. It was probably about ten seconds, but it felt so much longer. I ended up dropping out of university with anxiety and depression.”
The Gilded Balloon, another of the largest Fringe venues, has already banned Kohli.
Anthony Alderson, director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, told The Times: “We consider behaviour of this kind to be abhorrent. Anyone found to have committed sexual assault or inappropriate sexual behaviour is not, and never will be, welcome at the Pleasance.
“Senior staff have recently undergone training around sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour.”
Assembly George Square Studios, a venue he performed at in 2019, declined to comment on whether he’d be welcome again.
A spokesman said: “Assembly Festival takes the safety of its audiences, staff and performers very seriously and adopts a reasoned zero-tolerance approach towards harassment and abuse.”
