Ed Sheeran was stopped while performing on Church Street as permission was declined: Bengaluru Central DCP

DCP Central Bengaluru Shekar T Tekkannanavar on Monday said police stopped British musician Ed Sheeran's street-side performance on Church Street as he had declined the permission.

"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," Tekkannavar said.



On Sunday, Bengaluru Police had halted Ed Sheeran's live street performance in the city, citing lack of permission by the popular singer-songwriter. The police stopped the gig, which was underway at Church Street, when the Grammy winner was midway into the performance of his chartbuster "Shape of You".

In one of the clips, Sheeran, who performed in Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday evenings, can be seen arriving with his security personnel at the venue when he was greeted by cheering onlookers.

"We were going to play more than one song but we're being asked to play one song," he said on the microphone, before he started strumming the interlude of "Shape of You" on his guitar.

Just before he could finish the refrain of the song, a policeman stepped in and pulled the cables attached to the microphone and musical instruments.

A senior police official of the Cubbon Park police station said Sheeran was performing "without any permission so they had to stop".

Church Street is a busy area in Bengaluru known for its bustling atmosphere, nightlife and cultural events.