Udupi: Anupama Shenoy, former deputy superintendent of police (DySP) said that she had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to direct a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the Hublot watch controversy surrounding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Speaking to media persons at Udupi Press Club on September 5 here, she said, “I have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested a CBI probe into the Rs 70 Lakh Hublot watch controversy involving CM Siddaramaiah. I have submitted a 33-page document along with other reports in the media to the police and will submit other documents during the investigation.”
“On March 2, after the controversy arose, Siddaramaiah had returned the said watch to Kagodu Thimmappa, former Assembly and declared that Dr. Girish Chandra Verma had gifted him the watch and it had nothing to do with the government. Siddaramaiah had claimed that Dr. Girish Chandra Verma didn’t have any official dealings with the government of Karnataka or its organisations. The Lokayukta stalled the probe half way and Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) gave a clean chit to Siddaramaiah in the controversy in earlier March, 2017”, she explained.
Dr. Girish Chandra Verma, a doctor working in a UAE based businessman’s New Medical Centre Hospital Dubai as specialist Cardiothoracic Surgeon had given the costly Hublot watch to Siddaramaiah. Dr. B R Shetty who was awarded Pravasi Bharatiya Award in 2007 and Padmashree in 2009 during the UPA rule in Centre is the owner of NMC Health Care, Dubai, recalls the letter.
In August 2016, the Karnataka government had signed two projects in Karnataka with Dr. B R Shetty-one at Jog Falls in Shivamogga and the other, Haji Abdullah Women and Children’s Hospital upgraded under 30+30 years on lease. R V Deshpande was the Higher Education and Tourism Minister and Rajneesh Goyal, Secretary of the Education department then. After that Deshpande became Minister of Large and Medium Industries. Later, he visited udupi and met Pramod Madhwaraj. On 25 and 26 October, 2015, under the leadership of Deshpande, a high level delegation visited UAE. During February and March 2016, the watch controversy arose and after that Rajneesh Goyal was transferred to Women and Child Development department and his wife Dr. Shalini Rajneesh was transferred to Health department. Then Kagodu Thimmappa received the watch from Siddaramaiah with legal papers, quotes the letter.
Shenoy has named Siddaramaiah, R V Deshpande, Pramod Madhwaraj, Kagodu Thimmappa, Ramesh Kumar, Mahadevappa, T B Jayachandra, Rajneesh Goyal, Dr. Shalini Rajneesh, former DC Venkatesh, Dr. B R Shetty and Dr. Girish Chandra Verma as the accused in the letter.
She charged that the police, revenue and other departments had become corrupt in the state. “Police officials are suffering due to politicians. These days there is no respect for police personnel as well as officials”, she lamented.
