‘She was found in a hotel’: IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar’s mother detained in Mahad

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 18 (ANI): The Pune Rural Police have detained Manorama Khedkar, mother of IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, from a hotel in Mahad. Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh confirmed, “We have detained her from Mahad. She is on her way here. We will question her and take further legal action. She was found in a hotel in Mahad.”

Previously, on June 13, Manorama Khedkar received a show cause notice from Pune Police for misuse of a licensed gun. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar issued the notice after a viral video showed Manorama, the Sarpanch of Bhalgaon village in Ahmednagar, waving a pistol during a heated argument. She was asked to respond within 10 days. A case has been registered against her under the Arms Act based on a complaint from a local farmer alleging threats from Manorama and others.

On Wednesday, the Pune police issued a notice to Puja Khedkar, requesting her presence to record a statement regarding her harassment complaint against Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase. Puja is expected to provide her statement on Thursday.

This follows Puja’s harassment complaint against Diwase with the Washim police, which led to her removal from the District Training Programme of the State Government of Maharashtra on Tuesday. Subsequently, she was recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, putting her training on hold. A letter from Additional Chief Secretary Nitin Gadre stated, “LBSNAA, Mussoorie has decided to keep your district training programme on hold and immediately recall you for further necessary action.”

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar criticized the administrative set-up for the controversy, lamenting the lack of dialogue with the administration compared to previous times.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Pune has initiated an inquiry against Puja’s father, Dilip Khedkar, regarding unaccounted wealth owned by the family. Puja, who secured an All India rank of 821 in the UPSC exams, has been accused of misusing her authority. The Pune Police are also investigating an Audi car used by Puja, with Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirming actions under the Motor Vehicles Act and the recovery of pending challans on the car.