Virat Kohli's Bengaluru pub One8 Commune comes under BBMP scanner for alleged fire safety lapses

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has sent a second letter to the manager of One8 Commune, a bar and restaurant promoted by Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, following a complaint that the establishment lacks fire safety approval.

The BBMP's letter requests certain compliance-related documents from the manager to check for any violations.

The restaurant, which opened to the public in December of last year, is located on the sixth floor of Ratnam's Complex on Kasturba Road, near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

In a letter dated December 9, the BBMP's health officer for the Shantinagar division wrote to the manager after two complainants alleged that the restaurant had not obtained a no-objection certificate from the fire department by submitting building plan sketches.

The complainants—HM Venkatesh, a social activist, and Kunigal Narasimhamurthy, a member of a forum that claims to fight corruption — also pointed out that the lack of fire safety approvals could lead to loss of life in the event of an accident.

Citing the complaint, the BBMP issued its first letter requesting relevant documents from the One8 Commune manager on November 29. As no response was received, the civic body sent a second letter on December 9, asking for a reply within seven days.

The BBMP has warned of further action under the BBMP Act of 2020 if no response is provided. Senior BBMP officials have called this a routine process. "We have not received the response yet," the health officer said. 

However, this is not the first time the popular bar and restaurant has faced issues with the authorities. In July of this year, the Bengaluru City Police registered a case against the manager of One8 Commune for operating beyond permissible hours, as the pub had allegedly served customers until 1.30 am, which is past the permissible time limit of 1 am.