PUNE: City police on Saturday issued a notice to Manorama Khedkar, mother of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, asking why her firearm licence should not be cancelled over a rioting and threatening case registered against her on Friday by the Paud police in rural Pune.
A video clip in which Manorama is seen waving a firearm during an argument with some farmers over a land dispute at Dhadawali, in Mulshi, was widely circulated on social media on Friday.Pune Rural police verified the video and confirmed that it was shot during the incident on June 5, 2023. They booked Manorama based on a complaint by a farmer.
Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Saturday, “We checked our records and found that Pune police had issued the firearm licence to Manorama Khedkar in 2000. However, the same was not meant for misuse the way it has been seen in the video. We will take appropriate legal action after receiving her reply to our notice,”
A senior Pune cop told TOI, “We are yet to verify the purpose for which Manorama had sought the firearm licence and on what grounds the same was issued to her.”
Manorama’s lawyer, Ravindra Sutar, had said on Friday that the land dispute is pending before the civil court at Shivajinagar in Pune.
TOI tried to call Manorama on her cell phone but the call could not be connected. TOI also made calls and sent a text message to Puja Khedkar’s father, Dilip Khedkar, to seek his version of the issue but there was no response from him till time of going to press.
SP (Pune Rural) Pankaj Deshmukh told TOI on Saturday, “Our team visited the village to conduct a spot panchanama report and to record statements of witnesses.”
A video clip in which Manorama is seen waving a firearm during an argument with some farmers over a land dispute at Dhadawali, in Mulshi, was widely circulated on social media on Friday.Pune Rural police verified the video and confirmed that it was shot during the incident on June 5, 2023. They booked Manorama based on a complaint by a farmer.
Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Saturday, “We checked our records and found that Pune police had issued the firearm licence to Manorama Khedkar in 2000. However, the same was not meant for misuse the way it has been seen in the video. We will take appropriate legal action after receiving her reply to our notice,”
A senior Pune cop told TOI, “We are yet to verify the purpose for which Manorama had sought the firearm licence and on what grounds the same was issued to her.”
Manorama’s lawyer, Ravindra Sutar, had said on Friday that the land dispute is pending before the civil court at Shivajinagar in Pune.
TOI tried to call Manorama on her cell phone but the call could not be connected. TOI also made calls and sent a text message to Puja Khedkar’s father, Dilip Khedkar, to seek his version of the issue but there was no response from him till time of going to press.
SP (Pune Rural) Pankaj Deshmukh told TOI on Saturday, “Our team visited the village to conduct a spot panchanama report and to record statements of witnesses.”
Source Agencies
