Video screengrab
Credit: X/@snehaplsstop
Bengaluru: Bengaluru police on Sunday pulled the plug on British singer Ed Sheeran’s impromptu performance on Church Street, the city's vibrant party hub.
The police intervention received both praise and condemnation. Police summoned the organisers and warned of legal action if the incident recurs.
A video of the incident, widely shared on social media, shows Sheeran singing his famous number Shape of You on the footpath opposite the MG Road metro station around noon. An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) asks him to stop singing but the singer continues. The officer then unplugs the speaker.
While fans expressed outrage over police interference in the celebrated singer’s "free concert", some argued that the intervention was necessary to avoid a "Pushpa-like situation". Police said Sheeran had been denied permission well in advance.
Eyewitnesses said that they heard Sheeran saying he had taken prior police permission but the cops were still shutting it down.
Sheeran recently performed in Chennai, as part of the ongoing +–=÷× Tour (pronounced the Mathematics Tour).
Launched in 2022, the tour is being organised by AEG Presents Asia and BookMyShow Live. He arrived in Bengaluru after the Chennai show, and will tour Shillong on February 12 and Delhi NCR on February 15.
Shekhar H Tekkannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), defended the ASI, maintaining that the singer did not have permission to perform on Church Street.
According to Tekkannavar, the organisers had asked for permission but he was denied it because all public activities, including musical performances, are banned on Church Street footpaths, in view of large gatherings and traffic congestion.
"Everyone knows we have cleared all obstructions from the footpaths of Church Street. We are following the guidelines, and cannot bend the rules for one person," Tekkannavar told DH. "Had we permitted his performance, we would have contradicted our own actions. The law is equal for all," he added.
However, Bengaluru-based musician and lawyer Sanjay Sugumaran, who was on Church Street when the incident happened, said incidents like this put Bengaluru in a bad position.
"I was on Church Street for a shoot of my upcoming song when I saw a crew setting up a camera with a caravan nearby. After about 45 minutes, Ed Sheeran walked in and the crowd went crazy," he said, adding that seeing the singer Sheeran felt like a dream come true moment.
He continued: "The excitement dropped as two Hoysalas (police patrol cars) pulled over and a police officer unplugged the wire, asking the singer to stop performing.”
Kannada actor Divya Spandana, aka Ramya, defended the police action. “Appreciate the cop who averted what could have been another Pushpa 2 like situation in Bengaluru. We love impromptu gigs but police permission must be sought for public events. Can’t put lives at risk. #EdSheeran (sic),” she wrote on Instagram.
Users on social media platform X described the incident as “embarrassing” and “abysmal”, claiming “cops stopped Sheeran, unaware of who he was.”
A colleague of the policeman who pulled the plugs noted that he had warned the organisers before the performance started but they did not listen to him.
"They initially agreed to cancel the performance but started it when the ASI moved away. He heard the noise and saw the gathering. He came back and pulled the plug,” the colleague said.
According to the officer, the ASI was the beat in charge at that time, and if anything had gone during the gathering, he would have been suspended.
"Comments on social media trashing the ASI are disheartening. We get such hatred when we are just doing our job,” he added. “If something bad had happened, the blame would have been laid on us. We do this for people and get abuses in return."
Security has been tightened in Bengaluru in view of the Aero India airshow. A large number of police personnel have been deputed around the venue, increasing the workload on cops deployed in the city centre.