Viral video shows Puja Khedkar's mother pointing gun at farmers; cops to probe incident

A video showing probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar's mother threatening a group of men with a gun, has gone viral on social media, adding to the troubles of the controversial bureaucrat.

After the video circulated on social media, Pune police said they will investigate the matter to ascertain facts and whether Manorama Khedkar, Puja’s mother had a license to possess the weapon.

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.

Story behind the video

An official said the incident in the video was about a land parcel bought by Puja's father Dilip khedkar, a retired Maharashtra government officer, in Dhadwali village in Pune's Mulshi tehsil.

Locals had claimed the Khedkars had encroached on the land of neighbouring farmers.

The two-minute video shows Manorama, accompanied by her security guards, engaged in a heated argument with the neighbours.

Manorama can be seen yelling at a man with a pistol in her hand. She walks up to him and waves the gun in his face before concealing it in her hand.

"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.

Allegations of land grab

In connection with the episode, farmer Kuldeep Pasalkar claimed Manorama was forcefully trying to usurp his land.

"She has been threatening other farmers as well. She visited my plot along with some security guards and started threatening us while holding a firearm in her hand," Pasalkar alleged.

(With inputs from agencies)