MUMBAI: A day after organisers called off French DJ David Guetta’s international music concert in Bengaluru, the Mumbai police on Friday denied permission to conduct the Sunburn festival at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) here. The concert was to be held at the Reliance Jio Garden in BKC and nearly 3,500 to 4,000 persons were expected. Organisers Sunburn have faced a slew of difficulties in the recent past with one of their concerts being cancelled in Pune last month.
“Permission to Friday’s Sunburn programme at BKC is rejected by the Mumbai police for not completing mandatory requirements and legal formalities,” deputy commissioner of police (operations) Ashok Dudhe said.
The organisers came for permissions at the last moment, he added. The festival was shifted from the Mahalakshmi Racecourse to BKC after the BMC said that organisers did not have permission. The Byculla police station, which has jurisdiction over the racecourse, too denied permission to them.
Officials from office of minister for cultural affairs and guardian minister of Mumbai Suburban district Vinod Tawde denied existence of any political hand behind the denial of permission.
“The decision is based on administative grounds,” a senior official said, citing the permission given to the festival near Pune. The minister, however, was not available for any comment. There was no reaction from the organisers. The Grammy award winner was scheduled to perform in Mumbai on Friday as part of a four-city India tour. He is scheduled to perform in Hyderabad on Saturday.