Pune Police Detain Manorama Khedkar, Mother of IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar
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.
Doubts Revealed
Pune Police -: Pune Police are the law enforcement officers who work in the city of Pune, which is in the state of Maharashtra, India.
Detain -: To detain someone means to keep them in custody or hold them for questioning by the police.
Manorama Khedkar -: Manorama Khedkar is the mother of Puja Khedkar, who is training to become an IAS officer.
IAS Trainee -: An IAS trainee is someone who is training to become an Indian Administrative Service officer, a prestigious position in the Indian government.
Puja Khedkar -: Puja Khedkar is the daughter of Manorama Khedkar and is training to become an IAS officer.
Sarpanch -: A Sarpanch is the elected head of a village-level statutory institution of local self-government called the Panchayat in India.
Bhalgaon village -: Bhalgaon is a village in India where Manorama Khedkar is the Sarpanch.
Misuse of a licensed gun -: This means using a gun that you have permission to own in a way that is not allowed by law.
Harassment complaint -: A harassment complaint is when someone reports that they are being bothered or treated badly by another person.
Pune District Collector -: The Pune District Collector is a senior government official in charge of the administration of the Pune district.
Suhas Diwase -: Suhas Diwase is the name of the Pune District Collector involved in the harassment complaint.
Anti-Corruption Bureau -: The Anti-Corruption Bureau is a government agency in India that investigates and fights corruption.
Unaccounted wealth -: Unaccounted wealth means money or assets that someone has but cannot explain how they got it legally.
Dilip Khedkar -: Dilip Khedkar is the father of Puja Khedkar and is being investigated for having unaccounted wealth.
