MUMBAI: A video showing controversial IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s mother threatening a group of farmers with a pistol has gone viral. Puja’s mother Manorama Khedkar allegedly threatened farmers over a land issue in Mulshi tehsil in Pune in 2023.A Pune Rural police official said a probe would begin to ascertain facts, including if Manorama possessed a licence for the firearm. The 2023-batch IAS officer is accused of posing as an OBC non-creamy layer candidate in her UPSC candidature. She also claimed she was visually and mentally disabled but refused to take tests to corroborate her claims. It has been alleged that Manorama and her husband Dilip Khedkar are involved in illegal land grabbing in Pune and Ahmednagar districts. The Khedkar family allegedly owns 105 acres of land while Dilip’s total asset is worth Rs 40 crore. Puja owns several sedans and earns `40 lakh annual income through rented properties.The Khedkar family, which has properties across Maharashtra, had purchased 25 acres of land in Mulshi tehsil. A part of it allegedly encroached upon the land of neighbouring farmers. When the local farmers objected to the Khedkar family’s decision to take over the land, Manorama reached the spot with bouncers and threatened the farmers with the pistol, officials said.“We have taken cognisance of the video that is circulating on social media platforms. Once facts are ascertained, we will start a probe. We will investigate if Manorama Khedkar has a licence for the firearm,” a senior Pune Rural police official said. The video added to the controversies surrounding Puja who was recently transferred from Pune to Washim district following multiple complaints about her unprofessional conduct, unreasonable demand as a trainee IAS officer and her father threatening revenue department staffers.
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