Kolkata nightclub under fire after video showing 'chained' monkey goes viral on social media

A nightclub in West Bengal's Kolkata faced some serious flak from the internet after videos showing its patrons touching and patting a "chained" monkey on its premises went viral on the internet.

On Friday, a nightclub named Toy Room, located in the city's Camac Street area organised a 'Circus' themed party where a 'chained' monkey was seen inside the premises.

The Kolkata Police registered an FIR against the nightclub acting on the complaint of a forest range officer. Toy Room has denied all allegations.

The filed complaint reads, "The management authority of Toyroom along with some other responsible persons, in furtherance to their common intention organised a Circus theme party on June 16. During that time they chained up a baby monkey for amusement which showed cruelty to that animal.”

Swastika Mukherjee, a famous Bengali actor, was among those who accused Toy Room of animal cruelty after videos caught the attention of netizens. Sharing two short videos, which show people petting a chained monkey, the actor wrote in an Instagram post, "I'm ashamed to say the least! It's disheartening to see what #toyroomkolkata did in the name of an act to stand out! Well, you sure did. For all the wrong reasons."

"And what is wrong with the people who has gone to party there and indulging in this cruel act ? No one stopped this right there and then?," she questioned. 

The actor also tagged the official handle of Trinamool Congress.

The video of the 'chained' monkey was extensively circulated on social media in no time, and several users tagged Kolkata Police to demand immediate action against Toy Room. Peta India, the country arm of the global animal rights body, termed the act "horrific cruelty" and said its team is working on the case.

The nightclub denied the allegations, stating that no animals entered the property or were used there. It also claimed that some madaris performed outside the restaurant after being denied permission to stage a show inside. The madaris were located on the club's ground floor, according to the club.

The club released a statement on Instagram, which reads, “This is a message for everyone who are angry/hurt/upset over the videos of the monkeys. We would like to inform that Toyroom had no role to play in the hiring the monkeys or the madaris. The madaris or caregivers of the monkeys approached us at the club and we very politely refused them to do any kind of activities inside.”

"Agreeing to which, they moved to the ground level of the mall's entrance and sat there to make a livelihood out of it. The monkeys were not hurt, injured or harmed and they were always with the caretakers on the ground level of the mall," it said.

The nightclub stressed that the animals were not harmed and were with their caregivers throughout on the ground floor.

"We care as much as everyone else for the animals and would never do such activities where they would be harmed or caged. We sincerely apologise if we've hurt anyone's sentiments or feelings unintentionally," it added.