David Guetta's Mumbai concert cancelled after authorities deny permission. By T N RAGHUNATHA
A day after organisers cancelled French DJ David Guetta’s international music concert in Bengaluru citing law and order issues, the Mumbai police yesterday denied permission to hold the Sunburn festival at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in north-central Mumbai.
Hours before Guetta was scheduled to perform at the Reliance Jio Garden at the BKC, the Mumbai police said that they had ‘rejected’ the Sunburn festival organisers’ application to hold the concert.
“Permission to today’s Sunburn programme at BKC is rejected by the Mumbai police for not completing mandatory requirements and legal formalities,” deputy commissioner of police (operations) and Mumbai police spokesperson Ashok Dudhe said.
The city police officials said that the festival organisers had approached them for permission at the last moment. “It is difficult for us to work out logistics for the programme at the last moment,” a senior official said.
The organisers had initially planned to hold Guetta’s concert at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) denied permission for the ‘Sunburn Arena’ event at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. The Byaculla police, under whose jurisdiction the Mahalaxmi race Cours falls, also denied permission to the organizers to hold the concert.
Forty-nine-year-old Guetta is on a four-city tour of India that was expected to begin in Bengaluru and then move to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi. However, the organisers cancelled the concert in Bengaluru on Thursday, citing law and order issues in the wake of the New Year-eve reported mass molestation incident. The Mumbai police yesterday denied permission to the organisers to hold Guetta concert at the BKC.
The next two concerts are scheduled to be held in Hyderabad and Delhi on Saturday and Sunday respectively.