Polls or Safety? Why Was David Guetta’s Bengaluru Show Cancelled?

While Sunburn officials have cited safety concerns, Bengaluru police claim it was cancelled due to agri polls.

David Guetta was scheduled to perform in Bengaluru this week. (Photo: AP)

French DJ David Guetta's concert, scheduled in Bengaluru on Thursday, has been scrapped, with the organisers citing the “law and order situation” following the molestation incident during New Year's Eve as the reason behind the move.

The DJ is on a four-city tour which was expected to kick-off from Bengaluru, before heading to Mumbai, Hyderabad and New Delhi.

“Due to the present law and order situation in Bengaluru following the events that transpired around New Year's Eve, the authorities have recommended against holding the David Guetta concert scheduled today in the city. We at Sunburn tried our very best to make it happen but the authorities understandably are not prepared to take any chances. Hence today’s concert unfortunately stands cancelled,” Karan Singh, CEO of Sunburn, said in a statement.

The organisers said they hoped to “reschedule” the concert if they are granted permission from the authorities and the artiste.

Confusion prevailed after the Bengaluru police claimed that the concert had been cancelled for another reason. Bengaluru Rural SP Amit Singh told The News Minute that they have asked Sunburn organisers to reschedule as the concert would reportedly clash with the elections for the Agricultural Produce Market Committee and the police could not afford to assign manpower for both events. Police officials also claimed that they did not know about the concert at all.

“Even if they had approached us two weeks, we would have managed security. However, they came to us only two days ago for permission,” said Singh.

The SP denied Sunburn's claims that the concert was cancelled because of law and order problems. “They can say whatever they want, the concert in in Bengaluru rural and not city. I need more than 500 personnel for the elections. It is not possible to give security to the concert. How is this connected to New Year's Eve issues?,” asked Amit Singh.

The organisers said they would try to reschedule the concert “subject to approval from the artist and the authorities”.

But where does that leave the fans?