In more trouble for probationary IAS officer Dr. Pooja Khedkar and her family, Pune Police have booked her mother, Manorama Khedkar, after an old video of her threatening a local farmer with a gun went viral on social media.
The video shows Manorama Khedkar brandishing a pistol during a heated exchange with the farmer.
This development follows a probe ordered against Pooja Khedkar regarding claims in her UPSC candidature, including her OBC status and physical and mental disabilities.
The central government has formed a single-member panel to investigate Khedkar’s candidature documents and other claims. She faces potential termination if the panel finds her quota claims false.
Earlier this week, Pooja Khedkar was transferred from Pune to Washim following complaints about her using a ‘Laal Batti’ and ‘Government of Maharashtra’ sign for her private vehicle.
This led to further scrutiny, as allegations of misrepresentation regarding her disabilities and Other Backward Class status to gain undue privileges surfaced.
According to a report sent to the Maharashtra government by Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase, Khedkar demanded several perks during her conversation with the Pune Collector’s office, including a government vehicle, a cabin, and a house.
Following the controversy, some activists also raised questions about her OBC claim, stating her father’s poll affidavit shows his property is worth over Rs 40 crore.
““Shouldn’t this be investigated? How can such income fall into the non-creamy layer,” a Pune-based activist asked.
Pooja Khedkar comes from an affluent family background. Her parents own property worth over 40 crores, including 110 acres of agricultural land, shops, and seven apartments.
Her father, Diliprao Khedkar, is a retired officer of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and a politician who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls on a Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi ticket.