Pune: A day after the central government formed a one-member panel to probe allegations against the IAS probationary officer Puja Khedkar of misusing benefits from the Other Backward Class (OBC) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) quota to secure a position in the services, a video of her mother Manorama brandishing a firearm and purportedly threatening villagers in Mulshi taluka, Pune district, started doing the rounds on social media. The video of a heated altercation over a disputed piece of land was taken in June, 2023.
The matter soon escalated to the state police headquarters, with DGP Rashmi Shukla saying on Friday afternoon, “I have asked the superintendent of Pune rural police to get details on the matter.” As the video was widely shared through the day, and created a flutter in the circle of IAS officers, Pune rural police had a harrowing time tracking down the place where the incident had occurred, but late in the evening SP of Pune Rural Police, Pankaj Deshmukh, confirmed to Hindustan Times that an FIR has been registered in Paud police station against Manorama under the Arms Act.
Cops said, it subsequently came to light that the Khedkars bought the land in the jurisdiction of Paud police station from a Jain family. The land originally belonged to a Pasalkar family who sold it to a Margale family who eventually sold it to the Jains.
According to sources, the altercation in the video was between Kuldeep Pasalkar and Manorama, where the former claimed that his family is the actual land owner and that it was never sold to anyone over the years. The plot is approximately 35 kms from Pune city.
After Manorama’s threats, a non-cognisable complaint was registered in Paud PS last year, where there was no mention of a weapon. After the video did the rounds on Friday, members of Pasalkar family gathered at the police station, said police sources. Deshmukh said, “We need to investigate if the weapon is legal or illegal.”
Sachin Pujari, sub divisional police officer (SDPO) of Haveli division, which comes under the jurisdiction of Pune Rural, said, “We have summoned all the individuals seen in the video to verify everyone’s claims. We will take necessary action on the guilty after the interrogation is complete.”
Meanwhile, on Friday, after traffic police issued a challan on the Audi that Puja drove to her workplace with a Maharashtra government insignia and red beacon, the family has relocated the vehicle to an unknown place. Also, a team from the Pune Municipal Corporation arrived at their residence in National Housing Society, Aundh, to inspect illegal encroachment and construction. Civic officials said they suspect the parking area and the garden of the bungalow where Puja lives was built illegally.
Clip of IAS trainee Puja Khedkar’s gun-wielding mother viral
