Mother of Controversial IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Detained for Brandishing Gun in Viral Video

GG News Bureau
Pune, 18th July. Manorama Khedkar, mother of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, was detained from Mahad in Raigad district, Maharashtra, after a video showing her brandishing a gun went viral. Pankaj Deshmukh, SP of Pune Rural Police, confirmed her detention in connection with a case where she and six others allegedly threatened farmers.

The video depicts Manorama Khedkar in a heated dispute with neighbours in a Pune village, accompanied by security guards, waving a pistol at a man before attempting to conceal it.

Earlier reports suggested the incident involved a land dispute over a parcel purchased by Puja Khedkar’s father, Dilip Khedkar, a retired Maharashtra government officer, in Dhadwali village, Mulshi tehsil. Local residents accused the Khedkars of encroaching on neighbouring farmers’ land.

Pune Rural Police initiated an investigation to verify details of the incident, including the legality of the firearm in question.

Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, has faced scrutiny for alleged demands for separate office facilities, an official car, and misuse of a beacon on her private vehicle during her posting in Pune. Additional controversies include allegations of misrepresentation in her UPSC application regarding her OBC non-creamy layer status and claims of disabilities without undergoing verification tests.

In response, the government has halted Puja Khedkar’s district training programme and recalled her to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie for further action.