Redeem now - A video showing an Instagram influencer kicking a dog and smiling caused outrage.
- Viewers called for her account to be suspended and tagged local police in posts about the incident.
- She has since removed the video and apologized on Instagram for the "cruel act."
An Instagram influencer who goes by Kajalofficial Kiran has apologized after a video showed her kicking a dog and laughing.
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in.The influencer, whose real name is Kajal Kiran, according to India Times, posted the clip as an Instagram reel to her 121,000 followers, India Today reported. It is not available to view on her account but has since been reuploaded to YouTube.
In the clip, Kiran can be seen encouraging a dog to come closer, before kicking it away. After the dog yelped, Kiran turned and smiled while laughter could be heard from behind the camera.
The clip also circulated on Twitter with several accounts tagging Mumbai police and describing the video as animal abuse.
Vidit Sharma, founder of an Indian dog charity called Save a Stray, shared the video on Twitter with the caption, "How can you be so insensitive towards these voiceless souls."
—Vidit Sharma 🇮🇳 (@TheViditsharma) November 30, 2022
On November 30, Kiran uploaded a video to her Instagram account which was viewed by Insider. She apologized for what she described as a "cruel act" which she said happened in the "heat of the moment."
"I regret my actions and didn't realize the gravity at that point of time. I vow to not harm any animals," the caption read.
The video received over 25,000 comments, many of which said they were reporting the account for animal abuse. One comment with over 2,000 likes said, "Your account is soon to be suspended permanently," while another criticized Kiran's use of hashtags on the apology video which included #reels and #foryou.
Kiran posted three additional videos to her Instagram which are no longer publicly visible but which Insider viewed. Two of them showed Kiran feeding dogs on the street.
The third video included an additional text apology, which read, "I made a big mistake unknowingly, I myself love animals." It continued by saying she laughed in the video as her friend was "troubling" her.
Kiran's Instagram account has since been made private.
Dogs are protected under The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act in most parts of India, where Section 11 states kicking an animal qualifies as treating an animal cruelly. The punishment can include a fine of up to Rs 50 ($0.62) on a first offense, but animal welfare organizations are calling for amendments to be made to the act to "provide an effective deterrent," The Indian Express reported.
Neither Kiran nor Mumbai Police immediately responded to Insider's requests for comment.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.
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