A crowd sings the lyrics aloud as Ed clutches a microphone, but the sound is cut off.
Awkwardly, the police appeared to be completely unaware of the hitmaker’s identity.
On Instagram, he said: “We had permission to busk BTW, hence us playing in that exact spot.
“[It] was planned out before, it wasn’t just us randomly turning up.”
Fans of the star took to social media to lash out at police, with one remarking: “We live in an uncleocracy. And there’s nothing uncles love more than to stop young people from having fun.”
The incident even reached the country’s politicians, with PC Mohan, a local MP from the ruling BJP party, saying on social media “even global stars must follow local rules – no permit, no performance!”
Sheeran is in India for the second year in a row on a 15-day tour, having already played in Pune Hyderabad and Chennai and with more concerts scheduled for Shillong in India’s northeast and the capital Delhi.
He has a growing fanbase in the country after previously collaborating with Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh last year.
Demand for live music concerts has been increasing in India, with Sheeran’s biggest tour of the country to date following superstar Dua Lipa’s recent performance in Mumbai and Coldplay’s extensive tour.