'I Own 17 Acres, Work For Fun': Pune Govt Official Suspended After Arrogant Outburst Goes Viral

A headquarters assistant in Pune’s Indapur, who was acting arrogantly, consuming gutkha (chewing tobacco) in the office and making reckless statements, has finally been suspended. The assistant has been identified as Vivekanand Kulkarni (resident of Palasdev, Indapur taluka). He had made the reckless statements out of anger because the complainant had approached higher authorities after failing to receive a copy of the original case file despite applying three times. This incident occurred on Monday (June 20) afternoon at the Land Records Department office in Indapur.

Kulkarni told the complainant, "I am from Palasdev. I come from a wealthy family. I own seventeen and a half acres of sugarcane and banana plantations. If any work needs to be done, I can easily spend ten or twenty lakhs. I work here only for fun. You can send me to the boss or wherever you want, I won't be afraid." 

Notably, he made these reckless statements while openly consuming tobacco (gutkha) in a government office. A video clip of this incident went viral on social media, severely tarnishing the image of the Land Records Department. Finally, the department issued an order suspending the officer.

Santosh Mahadev Rakte (resident of Shetphal Gadhe, Indapur taluka) had applied three times to the Land Records office for a complete copy of the original case file for survey number 252, M.R. No. 5817/2021 in Shetphal Gadhe. He did not receive the copy. Therefore, on Monday, he contacted the Taluka Deputy Superintendent of the Land Records Department. 

The Deputy Superintendent ordered Headquarters Assistant Vivekanand Kulkarni to immediately provide the copies. This angered Kulkarni, leading to the subsequent events. After the complainant called the police to verify if Kulkarni was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Kulkarni fled the scene. Meanwhile, the land records department has taken action in this regard and suspended Kulkarni.