Pune, July 19: The controversial IAS-Probationary Officer Dr Puja M. D. Khedkar is expected to meet the Pune Police on July 20 and record her statement pertaining to allegations of harassment levelled against the district Collector, a top official said here on Friday.

“We have issued a second summons to her seeking her presence to record her statement tomorrow. She has indicated that she will be coming here… We shall wait,” Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told IANS. He said that Dr Khedkar was issued the first summons calling her on July 18, but she failed to turn up, after which the second summons was served to her in Washim. Puja Khedkar Booked: UPSC Files FIR Against Trainee IAS Officer for Availing Attempts by Faking Identity, Issues Show-Cause Notice for Cancellation of Her Candidature.

Kumar said that in case she does not turn up even on Saturday, then the Pune Police will examine the situation and take the appropriate measures. Earlier this week, Dr Puja Khedkar had given a written complaint to the police with shocking claims of alleged harassment by the Pune Collector Suhas Diwate who had sought her transfer from Pune to Washim.

Following a series of unreasonable demands beyond her entitlement as IAS-PO, the Assistant Collector Dr Puja Khedkar was shunted from Pune to Washim Collectorate in the same designation. Meanwhile, there came a bunch of sensational revelations against Dr Puja Khedkar on her academic qualifications, caste certificate, disability certificate, name changes, etc. Manorama Khedkar, Mother of Traine IAS Officer Puja Khedkar, Sent to Police Custody Till July 20 in Attempt to Murder Case Over Viral Gun Video.

This prompted the state government and the Centre to initiate a formal inquiry against her pending which she was removed from her field training on July 16, as per the directives of the Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. She was asked to report back to the LBSNAA ‘for further action’, and is facing several other probes in Pune and at the Maharashtra government level.

On Thursday, several state government staffers unions-associations-organisations sent a memorandum to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde demanding stringent action against Dr Puje Khedkar for her wild allegations against the Pune Collector filing which they have threatened a state-wide agitation.

The Khedkar family is currently in a bizarre situation -- Dr Puja Khedkar is under the close scanner of various departments and agencies. Her father and ex-government employee Dilip K. Khedkar is under a cloud for amassing huge wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income and is currently ‘missing’. Her mother, an ex-Sarpanch (village headwoman) Manorama D. Khedkar is presently in jail in Paud for brandishing a pistol and allegedly threatening some farmers ostensibly to usurp their lands in Mulshi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2024 03:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).