The Puja Khedkar controversy continued to gain momentum on Friday as an old video of her mother waving a gun at farmers went viral. The IAS officer sparked debate this week after text messages demanding a separate cabin and staff made the rounds on social media. She has also been accused of using a red beacon light on the Audi car and getting 'Maharashtra Government' written on the vehicle without permission.
The undated visuals shared online showed Manorama Khedkar waving a gun and attempting to ‘take over’ the land of neighbouring farmers with private hired bouncers in tow. She was also seen challenging police personnel and reporters while making legal threats.
“Show me the land documents. They have have my name,” she can be heard insisting in Marathi while waving a pocket pistol in his face.
She eventually concealed the weapon in her hand after noticing the camera.
The man in question however insisted that he was named in the document while the case remained in court. Manorama Khedkar was then seen demanding to see the court order and warning him to not “teach her the rules”.
Meanwhile reports allege that retired IAS officer Dilip Khedkar — the father of probationary officer Puja Khedkar — had amassed property worth several crore rupees and purchased land in several locations.
The 2023 batch IAS officer official was posted in Pune after securing an All India Rank of 841 in the UPSC exam. Controversy erupted recently after she was seen using her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate. She also demanded facilities that were not available to probationary IAS officers. The IAS trainee was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector's office when he allowed her to use his ante-chamber as her office.
According to a report submitted by Pune collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, Khedkar repeatedly demanded that she be provided with a separate cabin, car, residential quarters, and a peon even before joining the duty as a trainee on June 3. However, she was denied the claims.
(With inputs from agencies)
