A Cult gym in Bengaluru has cancelled the membership of a man who was filmed throwing a 20 kg plate on the floor in a fit of anger. The incident took place last week at Cult’s Indiranagar branch, where the man apparently became enraged when asked to alternate sets with other gym members.
Footage of the incident was first shared online last week by Rohan Pereira, another member of Cult Indiranagar who witnessed it happening first-hand. In the clip, Pereira claimed that the manager of the gym took no action despite complaining twice.
Cult has since said that the membership of the unruly gym-goer was cancelled.
HT.com has reached out to Cult for a statement. This copy will be updated on receiving a response.
What the video shows
In the video, the man was seen unloading a 20 kg plate and throwing it towards a woman, who managed to get out of harm’s way in the nick of time. The woman yelled out in shock, but that did not appear to have any affect on the gym-goer who continued throwing plates on the floor.
Rohan Pereira filmed a separate clip with two other Cult Indiranagar members where they explained what happened. “A 20 kg plate thrown recklessly at Cult Indiranagar (6th Main, Bengaluru) landed inches from me during peak hours. We complained to the centre manager twice. Nothing was done,” he captioned the video.
{{/usCountry}}Rohan Pereira filmed a separate clip with two other Cult Indiranagar members where they explained what happened. “A 20 kg plate thrown recklessly at Cult Indiranagar (6th Main, Bengaluru) landed inches from me during peak hours. We complained to the centre manager twice. Nothing was done,” he captioned the video.
{{/usCountry}}The three people explained that during a crowded hour at the gym, the man refused to share equipment and started throwing 20 kg plates on the floor in annoyance. They raised safety concerns, noting that people could have been seriously injured.
Risk of injury
“Hi, we are all members of Cult in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. I am sharing this video to raise a serious safety concern. This was a peak hour, and the gym was almost packed. All of us were alternating the sets on equipment because that's the only fair way to train when it's this crowded,” one person said in the clip.
“So, one member, he insisted that he needed the space for himself. When we explained to him that everyone was sharing, this is what happened. So, he took a 20 kg plate, and he started throwing it down recklessly. So, that 20 kg plate almost landed on one of us, and we could have been seriously injured,” another continued.
(Also read: Cult.fit founder Rishabh Telang accused of forging co-founder’s signatures: report)
The third person claimed that Cult refused to take action against the errant member, who not only threw plates on the floor but also set up a tripod to film himself. Cult’s rules state that members cannot set up a tripod on the floor.
“We've raised it to the center manager twice already. So far, no action has been taken at all. Cult India, Cult.fit, I'm tagging you because this is about the safety of every member who trains here. One dropped plate is all it takes for someone to get seriously hurt, dude,” the third person in the video said.
Cult and police respond
Both Cult fit and Indiranagar Police replied to the now-viral clip on Instagram. The video has racked up over 3.5 million views in three days.
The official Instagram account of Indiranagar Police said legal action had been initiated against the man.
Cult, meanwhile, posted an update on the incident and said the man’s membership had been cancelled.
“Update - We take such incidents, affecting the safety of our members, with utmost seriousness. We have investigated the incident and cancelled the membership of the member involved,” the gym chain posted.