Diljit Dosanjh's Delhi concert granted permission after meetings between police and organisers

Singer Diljit Dosanjh's Delhi concert, which was earlier denied permission, was granted nod after multiple meetings with the organisers, Delhi Police said on Friday.

Event organiser BookMyShow Live also confirmed the development and said that the permissions were "temporarily withheld” and not cancelled. It added that the October 30 event would go on as planned.

"It is clarified that reports suggesting that the Diljit Dosanjh AURA India Tour concert in New Delhi on 30 October being cancelled are inaccurate. Permission for the event had been temporarily withheld, not cancelled, and the two should not be confused,” BookMyShow Live said in a statement, news agency ANI reported.

Meeting with Delhi Police

The organisers said given the festive season relation caution, Delhi Police asked them to put additional safety, traffic and crowd-management measures in place.

"BookMyShow Live had a cordial meeting with Delhi Police, presented a detailed plan and have assured Delhi Police of full compliance with all security/traffic requirements. On that basis, permission for the event has been reconsidered and issued, according to ANI.

Permission denied due to security concerns

Police had earlier denied permission for the singer's concert in the Capital on October 30, citing security concerns, according to a letter the police wrote to ticketing partner BookMyShow.

Dosanjh’s Aura India Tour concert is scheduled at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

In a letter to BookMyShow, the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South District) had stated, “With reference to your application, I am to inform you that your request for organising Diljit Dosanjh’s Aura India Tour Delhi at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 30.10.2026 has been examined by this office. In view of the specific threat-related inputs, coupled with the multifarious security and law and order commitments arising out of the ongoing festive season and other important law and order concerns, the same cannot be acceded to.”

Threat-related inputs and hoax email

Apart from the “festive rush”, one of the reasons of denying permission was a hoax bomb threat e-mail received by multiple schools in Delhi on the morning of October 15. One such e-mail, seen by HT, warned students not to attend Dosanjh’s concert on October 30, a senior police official said.

The hoax e-mail also had pro-Khalistani slogans. Six schools received the e-mail, including The British School, Mount Carmel, Ahlcon International School, and Ahlcon Public School.

AAP slams decision

The decision received criticism from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, who accused the BJP-led government and Delhi Police of “bias” against “brave Punjabi's”

“Real heroes like Diljit Dosanjh supported the farmers’ movement and spoke out against police violence against students. The government is biased against such brave Punjabis. It earlier banned his film Sutlej, which was based on Punjab police atrocities during the militancy,” Bharadwaj alleged on X.

In turn, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra slammed AAP for doing “petty politics”.

“Diljit Dosanjh had performed at numerous university-level shows as well as at the Indira Gandhi Stadium. Most importantly, after the farmers’ protest, he performed a grand show at the same Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 26-27, 2024,” Malhotra said.