​Police take action against Angry fans, chaos erupts over canceled Divine concert

On Sunday morning, a video of police charging people at a five-star establishment in Kolkata on Saturday evening went viral on social media. According to sources, the police action follows the chaos that followed the cancellation of a concert by rapper Divine at the venue. What was not clear, however, was the reason for the sudden cancellation.

Here’s what concert-goers and a hotel representative told us about the incident

“We understood that the concert would not take place when we saw the chaos that reigned there. The buzz was that the organizers couldn’t get a police NOC, while some said the organizers and Divine’s team had differences.
– Roopsha Mukherjee, student
Screenshot from video showing police trying to control angry fans at the venue on Saturday evening.
after the cancellation of the Divine concert


Divine posted this Insta story from an on-site rehearsal session on Saturday evening

Around 10:30 p.m., there was chaos on the spot.
According to some sources, the organizers failed to obtain a NOC from the police for the concert, while others claimed to have differences with the rapper’s team. But DIVINE had also posted Insta stories of him rehearsing on location earlier in the evening. Despite repeated attempts, we were unable to obtain comment from either party on the matter.

“Angry fans tried to vandalize the venue”
“The concert was supposed to start at 8 p.m., but it didn’t. Around 10 p.m., there was chaos near the lobby and outside the ballroom. Around 10:30 p.m., a hotel security guard informed us that the organizers were unable to find a police NOC for the concert. We decided not to join the long queue for a refund and left the place.
— Adhidev Mukherjee, a fan
“I was waiting with my friends near the ballroom when we heard people screaming and running. When we went to the lobby, I could see the police charging everyone. Someone told us angry fans were trying to destroy hotel property.
— Saatvik Dutta, technician
Why is a police NOC important?
A police NOC is required for any event involving a large gathering of people, including a concert. It is issued by the local police station after ensuring that all necessary security measures are in place. This confirms that the venue has sufficient security arrangements to deal with any public order issues. A police officer inspects the location and must be satisfied with the arrangements made before the NOC is issued.
-Source: Rules listed on an Indian event licensing website

“We were just venue partners. The entire concert was planned, organized and conceptualized by a third party. We were not involved in any way.
– A hotel representative