Ed Sheeran surprised fans with a live performance on a busy street in southern India this weekend, but police quickly intervened and stopped the British singer, saying he had not obtained permission.

The four-time Grammy winner was in the middle of a concert in the southern city of Bangalore when he decided to drive buses on the city’s Church Street.

But while Sheeran was singing “Shape of You,” a khaki-clad police officer pulled off his guitar and microphone cables, and the singer threw up his hands in frustration, according to images posted on social media.

Local police said they had previously denied Sheeran permission to drive buses in the area, and a citizen called a helpline to report a violation after he started playing.

“We denied it because Church Street is a very busy area and people try to get there,” Shekhar H. Tekkannavar, deputy commissioner of police for Bangalore Central division, told CNN on Monday.

But Sheeran said the all-clear was given for the street performance.

“We were allowed to be nervous,” Sheeran said on Instagram shortly after the incident on Sunday. (The street performance) was pre-planned, it wasn’t just us showing up randomly.”

CNN has reached out to Sheeran’s representatives for comment.

The incident went viral on social media, with one user posting a clip of Sheeran performing at X.

“Just went for a casual stroll down Church Street and saw Ed Sheeran perform live. What a city!”

Another online response criticized local authorities, with some saying the concert was unlikely to cause any trouble and that they should be focusing on the city of about 14 million, which is struggling with traffic congestion and water shortages.

Sheeran is a popular artist in India and performed a sold-out concert in Mumbai last year.

He is scheduled to play two more shows in India before heading to China and the United Arab Emirates.