During the weekend, Ed Sheeran got stopped by police on a Bengaluru street. In a viral social media discussion, the city’s leaders clarified that the artist was not allowed to busk because of heavy traffic on Church Street, where the performance took place.
According to the police, a representative from Sheeran’s team had approached them for approval, but the request was denied.
“A member among the event organisers came to meet me to seek permission for the streetside performance at Church Street. I refused to give permission because Church Street gets very crowded. That is the reason he was asked to vacate the place,” news agency ANI quoted DCP Central Bengaluru Shekar T Tekkannanavar as saying.
However, Sheeran’s statement contradicted the police’s explanation. Sharing his perspective on Instagram, the singer claimed he had secured permission to perform in the exact spot.
On his Instagram story, he wrote, “We had permission to busk btw, hence us playing in that exact spot, was planned out before, it wasn’t just us randomly turning up. All good though. See ya at the show tonight x.”
The incident gained further attention after a Bengaluru cop unplugged Sheeran’s musical equipment during his performance, reportedly unaware of his identity. The video quickly spread across social media, with many calling the situation “embarrassing.”
Sheeran has been to India for his Maths tour. There, he headlined at Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday night, making this the only venue where he repeated a performance overnight due to unmet demand on tickets. Here, he supported Indian artiste Armaan Mali and shall perform in Pune, Shillong, and Delhi NCR.
