Police in the Indian tech capital of Bengaluru said they had denied the British singer permission to perform on a busy street.

Ed Sheeran took to a busy street in southern India this weekend to surprise fans with a live performance but police soon swooped and pulled the plug on the British singer, saying he hadn’t received permission.

British pop star Ed Sheeran was stopped from busking in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Sunday, with police saying he didn't have the necessary permissions. A video showing a local police officer unplugging Sheeran's microphone on Bengaluru's Church Street - a crowded shopping and entertainment area - has since gone viral.

The British musician was filmed performing on a busy street in Bengaluru when a police officer approached him and unplugged his microphone. View on euronews

A street performance by Ed Sheeran in India's tech capital of Bengaluru was stopped abruptly by police on Sunday, outraging fans and prompting the British singer to issue a clarification.

Ed Sheeran’s impromptu street performance in Bengaluru, India, was stopped by local police on Sunday. The singer decided to busk on the city’s Church Street ahead of his concert, but police officers literally pulled the plug, saying Sheeran didn’t have proper permission.

Footage showed a policeman walking up to Sheeran as he was singing and unplugging his microphone, as onlookers jeered.

While Indian police have claimed Ed Sheeran didn't have permission to perform in public, the musician has claimed otherwise.

Sheeran is currently on the India leg of his Mathematics Tour, and has performed in Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai. In Chennai, Sheeran was joined on stage by the renowned Indian composer AR Rahman, where the two performed Rahman’s 1994 Tamil song “Urvasi” from the soundtrack of Kadhalan.