BENGALURU: British musician Ed Sheeran’s surprise live street performance in Bengaluru on Sunday morning was abruptly halted by the city police, who claimed he did not have the necessary permissions. The police stated they had also received a complaint from the public regarding a nuisance. However, no formal complaint was registered against the singer.
A viral video circulating on social media shows Sheeran singing his chartbuster Shape of You while playing his guitar on Church Street.
A police officer from Cubbon Park police station said they received a call on ‘Namma 112’ reporting a performance on Church Street that was causing a disturbance. “Our men saw the crowd swelling in no time. We had to intervene to manage the situation before things got out of hand,” the officer said.
Police initially did not recognise the singer. “We requested the singer to stop his performance, but he didn’t heed our requests and continued performing. We had no option but to unplug the microphone and musical instruments to stop the performance,” an officer said.
The police action angered music lovers, who began shouting in protest. In response, Sheeran asserted that he had the necessary permissions. In another video, he is seen saying, “We have permission to be here, but this policeman is shutting it down.”
Police clarified that an event management company had approached the DCP Central office for permission to perform on Church Street. “As Church Street is a crowded place, we denied permission,” they stated.
“Performances on streets and footpaths are allowed only after obtaining necessary permissions. We do not allow performances in busy areas as it causes inconvenience to the public,” an officer explained.
Sheeran, known for hits like Perfect and Shape of You, is currently performing multiple concerts in India. He recently performed in Chennai and has a scheduled concert at NICE Grounds in Bengaluru.
While the police maintained they were doing their duty, netizens expressed disappointment over missing an informal performance by a global icon.