Evidence shows Sikdar knew Avtar’s secret

Evidence has emerged about how the Left Front government acted as a ‘‘facilitator’’ in Avtar Singh’s business opera...

Evidence has emerged about how the Left Front government acted as a ‘‘facilitator’’ in Avtar Singh’s business operations that finally turned into a sex racket. The government and the CPI(M)’s backing came by virtue of former athlete Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, who later returned as the CPI(M)’s MP from Krishnanagar.

There is growing evidence to suggest that it was with the full knowledge of his MP wife that Avtar ran the illegal racket at Merlin Park. Locals said Sikdar used to come there frequently and at times was even seen sitting at the cash counter. She also often left their two-year-old son in the care of the security guards at Merlin Park whenever she had to go to Delhi or Krishnanagar.

Why the raid then? This is yet another case, say senior bureaucrats, in which the green signal for the operations came from the top — Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. The reason: increasing anti-social activity centering Merlin Park.

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Here are some examples of how the government acted as a ‘‘facilitator’’ in the Avtar-Jyotirmoyee business venture despite local resentment against the opening of a bar in the area. Before the licence for a bar is granted, it is mandatory for the Excise Dept to issue a notice with the prime objective of finding out if there are any objections.

• In Ward No 14, where the hotel-cum-bar was run, there were plenty of dissenting voices. Written petitions were said to have been submitted to local authorities. But Avtar’s bar licence came through after fulfilling — at least on paper — all the necessary norms. Sources said the notice inviting objections to the licence was put up in some obscure corner in the Excise Department’s office in Barasat, which is at least 20 km away from Ward 14.

• The chairman of Salt Lake (Bidhanagar municipality) was against issuing the no-objection certificate when Avtar approached him for one. Talking to The Indian Express, Dilip Gupta admitted: ‘‘I refused to either reject it or give the no-objection certificate. I kept mum.’’ Asked if he was under pressure to adopt such a stance, Gupta declined to comment. But the two secured the licence even without the NOC.

• Police investigating the case said the very structure of the three-storied building indicated that it was meant to be a sleaze joint right from the beginning. There are small kothi-like rooms on each floor decorated with obscene pictures, they said. The booking rate for the rooms ranged from Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 for two hours of occupancy.

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Avtar had a valid bar licence obtained in May 2001, and T.K. Barman, Secretary, Dept of Excise, said the bar had paid Rs 37,000 last year as litterage fees. ‘‘If any activity was going on there beyond the purview of the Excise Department, we are not responsible (for it),’’ said Barman.

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