IAS Puja Khedkar Row: Pune Rural Police Say Officer’s Parents Are on the Run in Farmer Threatening Case

Pune Rural SP Pankaj Deshmukh on Monday confirmed that the parents of trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar are on the run following an FIR filed against them for allegedly threatening a local farmer.

"The accused are on the run; we are trying to contact them, but their phones are switched off. We have also tried to reach their residence, but they are not available," Deshmukh stated.

Several teams, including officials from the local crime branch and local police stations, are searching for the accused in Pune and nearby areas where they have farmhouses and other residences.

"If found, we will question them and take appropriate action," he added.

Dilip Khedkar defends wife

Meanwhile, while speaking with PTI, Dilip Khedkar defended his wife and said, "The media and others are showing only one video clip. The day before that incident, a local aggressively approached her with a stick. In such a situation, should she have stayed silent? She possesses a licence to carry the gun for self-defence."

However, when media questioned Puja Khedkar about the same, she said, "I have said earlier also that I cannot comment on this. Rules do not allow me to say anything. I cannot share anything with the media, whatever is required I will share with the committee."

Puja Khedkar recently came under intense media glare after she kicked up a controversy with her alleged demands for a separate cabin and staff during her posting in Pune and her abrupt transfer to Washim district.

She then faced more allegations of securing a position in the IAS by taking the civil services exam under the Other Backward Class (OBC) - with less than ₹8 lakh annual income - and visually impaired categories and submitting a mental illness certificate.

Her father and former Maharashtra government employee Dilip Khedkar, who contested the Lok Sabha elections and had declared property worth ₹40 crore in his poll affidavit, told a Marathi news channel on Sunday that she indeed belongs to the non-creamy layer.