Kolkata: Cops stepped up their probe into complaints against social media influencer Sayak Chakraborty in the Olypub ‘wrong meat' controversy, recording statements of all four complainants who filed separate cases against him.
One of the complainants, theatre artiste Joyraj Bhattacharjee, got his statement recorded late on Thursday night, while the remaining three appeared together at the police station on Friday afternoon to depose before investigating officers.
The controversy erupted after Chakraborty uploaded 2 live videos on social media, alleging he was served the wrong meat at the iconic Park Street restaurant. He was served a notice to appear at the police station and record his statement but he is yet to respond, police said.
"We are in the process of recording statements of the complainants as well as witnesses who were present during the altercation at Olypub last week," a senior Kolkata Police officer said.
"We were asked whether we knew Sayak personally and why we decided to lodge a complaint," said Chiroshree Mukherjee, a school teacher and one of the complainants. "We told the police we were disturbed by the videos and the communal comments they triggered online. We feared it could lead to unrest in the city and want strict action against him."
Another complainant, techie Pinki Ghosh Dastidar, said they assured police of full cooperation. "Now that our statements were recorded, we believe the investigation will pick up pace," she said.
The other complainant, Bhattacharjee, posted on Facebook that he went to Park Street police station well past midnight to record his statement. "Unlike a certain influencer who claims on social media that he withdrew his complaint without doing so legally, we are not withdrawing ours —neither on social media, nor at the police station, nor in court," he wrote.
Attempts by TOI to contact Chakraborty throughout the day were unsuccessful.