CORRUPTION EXPOSED
Hassan Raghu Found To Be Culprit
Report by CNB                  Photo - K.M. VEERESH                    Date - 12-6-2002

With the election of Karnataka Stunt Artistes Directors Association on June 10 the shady deals have come out from the cupboard.

By checking of books of accounts by the new office bearers, the villain has been exposed. In the case of settlement of Rajayogi Films there has been Rs. 60,000 without accounts.
17 members had gone to Kulumanali, Leh and other places for the shooting of the film `Sainika’ According to the association rules a fighter has to get Rs 625/- per day. This comes to Rs. 3 lacs. 

Rajayogi films have given a letter to the association addressing the letter to Hassan Raghu. The letter dated 4/12/2001 says `Rs. 2 lacs is paid by cash in full and final settlement of account of your association members who rendered their services for our picture.’ Hassan Raghu have signed to that letter as acknowledgement.

But at the stunt union office it is learnt Raghu has made Rs. 1,40,000/- as payment. The question they are asking is what happened to Rs. 60,000/-. How Raghu did accepted Rs. 2 lacs when they have to get 3 lacs. Rajayogi films say they have settled all their amount without keeping any balance.

In another case points some of the fighters `producer Dhanaraj had to pay the balance of Rs. 30,000/- to the stunt association for his earlier film `Vishwa’. Dhanaraj cleared this amount at the beginning of his `H2o film’. In this only Rs. 21,000 was given to the fighters. Some of the fighters who received the payment say `Raghu called them and told Dhanaraj is settling their amount in full if they leave Rs. 500 each. The fighters agreed for that and later came to know that Dhanaraj has given their full amount to Hassan Raghu.

According to the association members commission was a must with Hassan Raghu. Jumper Subash was supposed to get Rs. 13,000/- for the jumps he made for a Kannada film. To get his payment Subash had to pay the commission of Rs. 3,000 to Hassan Raghu. This incident was brought at the Association General Body meeting. Hassan Raghu accepted that he took the amount from Subash and told `commission is there in Government itself and what’s wrong if I took the commission’. This irritated the members. Some even stood to hit Hassan Raghu. But Raghu escaped from the meeting place without telling others’ was the version at the stunt union office.

Now the fighters are crying. Hassan Raghu has given a letter to the bank saying funds from the stunt union account should not be cleared without his permission. The new committee headed by K.D. Venkatesh who took charge month ago is not able to do the transaction in the bank.

For all these mistakes and misappropriation the Karnataka Stunt Artistes and Directors Association points to Hassan Raghu the ex-president of the association. Now it is a fresh set up of members and there will be no room for such malpractices it is learnt.