The excise department has summoned senior officials of Hotel Hindustan International (HHI) to appear for a “hearing “ early next week.

The department, during the “hearing”, would want to know from the hotel authorities whether liquor was served to a suite on the hotel’s sixth floor after 8pm last Saturday in violation of the Covid-19 norms.

Last Saturday around 9pm, a team of senior officials from the excise department had raided the hotel on AJC Bose Road following information that a party had shifted from the hotel’s bar to a suite on the sixth floor after 8pm.

HHI had allegedly made all arrangements for shifting the venue from the bar to the suite. The hotel has declined comment on the allegations.

“During the hearing session, we would want to know what the hotel authorities have to say about our findings that liquor was served beyond stipulated time last Saturday on a sixth-floor suite,” said a senior official of the excise department. “Such hearings follow when we detect deviation from rules.”

The department had earlier sought CCTV footage of the sixth-floor corridor and the lobby from that day. The hotel apparently said it could not retrieve the footage since the machines were malfunctioning.

The excise department has not barred HHI from serving liquor. It has imposed such a bar on The Park after police arrested 37 persons from a late night party at the Park Street address early on Sunday morning.

The detective department of Calcutta police, which is probing the alleged violation of the government’s norms at The Park, has summoned senior hotel officials for questioning at Lalbazar on Monday.

“The hotel’s management would have to clearly explain its position about last Saturday night’s party. We will record statements of each of the staff and then crosscheck it with the ones who have given their statements to us earlier,” said a senior police officer.

Maidan

Security and patrol personnel have been increased on the Maidan for evening walkers from Saturday.

Police officers said extra patrol vans have been deployed in the area between 4pm and late evening — when many Calcuttans go to the stretch for walks.

The move comes in wake of multiple snatchings on the Maidan. Three morning walkers were robbed and one was injured with a knife and the butt of a gun.

Morning patrol had already been stepped up.