Mumbai: A day after a music concert at BKC was cancelled over law and order issues, the police claimed on Monday that the organisers had been informed about their decision not to allow the programme well in advance — on April 16.Police said they rejected permission for the Circoloco Mumbai live music show at BKC scheduled on Sunday as the application filed for it was not done 15-20 days prior, as required.A BKC police officer said the organisers continued taking bookings for the show from customers, thinking they could persuade the police till the last moment. “When we learned the organisers did not inform public about the cancellation, we made them post details on social media on Sunday morning about it as it could lead to a law and order problem,” said the officer.One of the organisers from Hyderabad, Harish Madhukurri, told TOI on Monday: “We had completed all the necessary documentation and had submitted it to the police seeking permission. It took us five years to convince and get the international artist to Mumbai. The cops said the application that we submitted was late and was not as per protocol of 15-20 days submission prior to the event. When we received the notice from the police on April 15, informing that we have no NOC from traffic police and law & order situation. We got the NOC from traffic police on April 16. However, the same day we got another notice from cops informing that they can’t grant permission due to law and order situation. Also, it was learned the reason for denial is the Goregaon event in which two deaths occurred. But our question is why there is partiality by the Mumbai or Maharashtra police to one event, granting permission and cancelling other, when we have submitted that we will not serve alcohols or allow smoking inside,” said Madhukurri.Police said that despite being informed through the notice that their application was rejected four days in advance to the show scheduled on April 19, the organisers kept the booking window open and collected money from public. “They mentioned that they are going to issue tickets to 6,000 people. We were informed that that 4,000-plus tickets were sold,” said the officer.The officer said the organisers would have been granted permission had they applied 15-20 days in advance so that police could have gathered details of all staff and those employed, including guards. The officer said this was required after the Goregaon drug death case in which the security guard allowed peddlers to enter the concert and sell drugs.Police also cited past incidents, including barricades being broken and viewers charging at a live concert of singer Honey Singh. Police said they did not want a similar incident to happen at the Circoloco Mumbai event on April 19. The officer said police registered an FIR after a chaotic incident at Yo Yo Honey Singh’s ‘My Story – India Chapter’ concert at the MMRDA Grounds in Bandra on March 28, where crowd control measures were overwhelmed and laser lights were used despite a warning that it was a no flying zone.
