Virat Kohli’s restaurant accused of discrimination by the LGBTQIA+ community 

A restaurant chain owned by Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, One8 Commune, located across the country in New Delhi, Pune, and Kolkata, has been condemned by the LGBTQIA+ community for allegedly discriminating against their queer guests. A post regarding the same was shared by an activism group on Instagram, which claimed that the restaurant denied entry to homosexual people. 

The post by ‘Yes, We Exist’ mentioned that the Pune branch of One8 Commune, when contacted, apparently confirmed that entry in the restaurant would be provided only for cisgender heterosexual couples or groups of cisgender women, while transgender women would be allowed subject to their clothing. “We DM’ed [direct messaged] them 2 weeks ago, got no response. We called the Pune branch, they confirmed that entry is allowed only for cisgender heterosexual couples or groups of cisgender women; gay couples or a group of gay men are not allowed; trans women allowed subject to their clothing. Discrimination against LGBTQIA+ guests is common at such fancy restaurants, bars and clubs in India, and Virat Kohli is no exception,” the post read. 

Responding to the allegations, One8 Commune issued a statement on Monday which said, “As our name denotes, we have always been inclusive in serving all communities since our inception. Similar to industry wide practice and in conformity with government rules, we obviously have a prohibition of stag entry policy (subject to relaxation) in place so as to ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for our guests. This does not in any way mean that our company policy provides any discriminatory entry rules for/against any particular community.”