AR Rahman stopped from singing after 10 pm by Pune Police

The Pune Police stopped music maestro AR Rahman from singing during his concert on Sunday night after he continued to perform beyond the permissible time of 10 pm, according to the news agency ANI. 

Rahman was singing his last song and while singing he did not realise that it was already past 10 pm, the police official who was at the venue went and conveyed to him to follow the deadline as per the Supreme Court guidelines, said Smartana Patil, DCP Zone 2, Pune Police.

After the intervention of the police, Rahman stopped singing and left the stage. While the police just followed the court's guidelines, some people questioned the way the situation was handled.

Pulkit, a Twitter user, said the night ended on a sour note as some high-ranking Pune police officer decided that the best way to end the show was to "get on stage and cut the song mid-way, deny AR Rehman one last closing song by pointing at him and saying NO and cutting the mics".

"I know there are rules and it's equal for everyone but give the man some respect," he said. "This will just make other artists not want to come to Pune. There were better ways to handle d situation. Disappointed with @PuneCityPolice today but also respect them also for ensuring security."

Pulkit said all this happened at 10:15 pm. "I think the show was supposed to end at 10 pm. Wished they would have allowed one last closing song so that everyone went home happy," he wrote.

Some people also criticised the police for allowing the event in an area designated as a silent zone due to the presence of many hospitals in the vicinity. The event was organised at the Raja Bahadur Mill area in Pune.

The Supreme Court had in July 2005 banned the use of music systems between 10 pm to 6 am (except in the cases of public emergencies) at public places citing the serious effects of noise pollution on the health of the people living in such areas.

In October of that year, the top court ruled that loudspeakers could be permitted to be used till midnight on festive occasions for 15 days a year. The court upheld the constitutional validity of a statutory rule allowing states to relax sound pollution norms including the use of loudspeakers till midnight on festive and religious occasions.

Last year, massive controversy had broken out after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray demanded the removal of loudspeakers from mosques.

The Mumbai Police said action would be taken on the use of loudspeakers between 10 pm to 6 am. Meanwhile, it is mandatory to follow the prescribed decibel rules during the daytime. 

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