Kolkata: A Siliguri-born computer engineer's online startup — that helps people find domestic help, cooks, baby-sitters and senior citizen caregivers — has enforced a ban on Tollywood celebrities from accessing its service. In addition, they have enforced a ban on providing service to television and fashion industry professionals of Kolkata. Earlier this month, the same startup was in the news for a similar ban on Bollywood celebrities. Bengal's tinsel town, however, insists it is unfair to generalise.Anupam Sinhal, who studied in Siliguri's Don Bosco School and is the founder of BookmyBai.com, said: "A month ago, we started our service in Kolkata. I have had a bad experience with celebrities and don't want to risk it any further. For now, we will not offer any services to movie and TV celebrities in the city."Sinhal insists the Tollywood ban is a result of being once bitten, twice shy. Earlier this month, Sinhal had written a blog where he listed five bitter experiences he had while providing services to celebrities. A Bollywood actress didn't allow her domestic help to travel to Bihar to perform his mother's last rites until a replacement was sent across to her.On the startup's policy towards celebrities from other fields, Sinhal said: "We don't want to provide services from people involved with Kolkata's fashion industry either."Physical abuse, he said, was a common grouse against Bollywood celebs. "It is not acceptable whether it's a celeb or a regular family," he said. But what was worse was that no help ever wanted to lodge a police complaint despite being abused.Those familiar with the glamour world in Kolkata agree that there might be cases of exploitation of domestic helps and drivers though it's unfair to generalise. "Some celebrities in Kolkata treat their domestic helps very well. I have seen cases where celebs have tried to give job opportunities to their domestic helps on film sets," said producer Himanshu Dhanuka.Driver Bapi Mondal, who has worked for Tollywood celebrities, said, "There is nothing special about working for artistes. Most of them are good and pay salaries by the 5th of the month. But my friends say problems arise when it comes to overtime. They might call us at noon, release the car at midnight and say it is a 12-hour duty."Fashion designer Abhishek Dutta countered: "It's not fair to paint all celebs with the same brush. We had once hired a domestic help from an agency. Instead of offering food to our kids, we found she had tucked it all in her bag. The agency, however, didn't take responsibility when we complained."

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