‘Very embarrassing’: Ed Sheeran stopped from singing on street by Bengaluru police, Reddit calls it 'peak Indian moment’

Video of Bengaluru police stopping Ed Sheeran from singing on the street went viral on social media, leading to strong reactions.

On Sunday morning, Ed Sheeran surprised fans in Bengaluru with an unannounced performance on Church Street. However, he was stopped mid-way by the police, and a video of the incident went viral on social media. While some fans criticised the police, others praised them

Ed Sheeran performing Shape of You on a Bengaluru street.(Twitter)

Reddit reacts to Ed Sheeran's viral video

A Reddit user shared the video with the caption, "A police officer pulled the plug when Ed Sheeran surprised everyone on Church Street" (laughing emojis). In the video, the singer was seen performing his popular song Shape of You, dressed in casuals and sunglasses, when the cops unplugged his microphone. “We have the permission to be here, but this policeman is shutting it down," the singer could be heard telling the crowd.

The video left fans divided. One Reddit user wrote, "Hahaha. One of those ‘Only in India’ moments." Sharing the video on X (formerly Twitter), one wrote, “International artist @edsheeran was stopped playing in #Bangalore at church street. Even though, he had the permission. Literally! The cops pulled the plug. Damn sad!”

Another comment on Reddit read, "It’s just very embarrassing." Another quipped, "Iska challan pounds mein niklega (his challan will be issued in pounds)."

A police officer pulled the plug when Ed Sheeran surprised everyone on Church Street😂😭😭😭
byu/WolfAffectionatefk inBollyBlindsNGossip

Some users defended the police for "doing the right thing" and wrote, "He’s just doing his job!" Praising the cop, a person commented, "Lmaooo, uncle doesn’t discriminate between goras and local street singers! He deserves an award." Another compared the situation to the Pushpa 2 stampede tragedy, writing, "This will block the road, create issues, and finally lead to a stampede. Have you forgotten what happened when Allu Arjun visited the cinema hall to surprise fans?" Sheeran claimed that he had the permission for the street gig. The Bengaluru Police have not yet released a statement on the incident.

Ed Sheeran's India Tour 2025

The British singer is currently in India as part of his Mathematics tour. He has already performed in Hyderabad and Chennai, where he was joined by Indian composer A.R. Rahman for a special rendition of the classic Urvasi song. Sheeran is slated to perform today (February 8) in Bengaluru and will next be performing in Shillong (February 12) and Delhi NCR (February 15).