Lagatar24 Desk
Pune: A recently surfaced video shows Manorama Khedkar, mother of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, threatening a group of farmers with a gun, further complicating the ongoing controversy surrounding the junior officer. The video, which has gone viral, depicts Mrs. Khedkar confronting a farmer with a pocket pistol during a dispute over land ownership.
Puja Khedkar, a 2023 batch IAS officer, is already under scrutiny for allegedly misrepresenting herself as an OBC non-creamy layer candidate in her UPSC application and claiming disabilities she refused to substantiate through medical tests. The situation is exacerbated by accusations that her father, Dilip Khedkar, a retired IAS officer, amassed significant wealth, including 25 acres of land in Mulshi taluka of Pune district.
Local farmers allege that the Khedkar family attempted to seize their land. When the farmers resisted, Mrs. Khedkar, accompanied by security guards, confronted them. In the two-minute video, she can be seen yelling at a man while brandishing a gun, demanding to see the land documents. She conceals the weapon upon noticing the camera but continues to assert her claim over the land.
“Show me the satbara (land documents). The land documents have my name,” she warns in Marathi. The farmer responds that his name is on the document and that the matter is in court. Mrs. Khedkar then demands to see the court order and warns the man not to “teach me the rules.”
Farmers claim they attempted to file a complaint at Pune’s Paud Police Station but were turned away.
Documents accessed by NDTV reveal that Puja Khedkar owns five plots of land and two apartments across Maharashtra, valued at ?22 crore. She also owns additional properties in Ahmednagar and Pune, worth ?45 lakh and ?75 lakh, respectively.
The junior officer faces serious charges of “abuse of power,” including using unauthorized red beacon lights, VIP number plates, and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private Audi sedan. She has also been accused of using Additional Collector Ajay More’s office without permission, removing office furniture, and demanding official letterheads.
In light of the escalating controversy, Puja Khedkar has been transferred to Washim. When questioned about the allegations, she told reporters, “I am not authorized to speak on the issue. Government rules don’t allow me to speak on this.”
As the investigation continues, the Khedkar family’s actions remain under intense scrutiny, highlighting the broader issues of abuse of power and corruption within the administrative system.
