Pune: District Collector Suhas Diwase reacts on allegations made by IAS Puja Khedkar

PUNE: Pune District Collector (DC) Suhas Diwase reacted to the allegations of harassment made against him by probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar.

On the allegations made, he said, “I have not received any complaint copy yet so there is nothing to respond to on the allegations.”

Additionally, Washim’s police station’s officers arrived at the residence of the trainee IAS to question her on the matter being investigated by the Pune Crime Branch. Khedkar was earlier scheduled to appear before the police in Pune and record her statements on Thursday.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Trainee IAS Puja Khedkar has lodged a harassment complaint against Pune District Collector.

When asked about the complaint against him, Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase says, “There is nothing to respond about. I haven’t received any complaint copy, so… pic.twitter.com/PUjciGb62w

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2024

However, she failed to do so and was residing at her official guest house in Washim.

Earlier today, in a significant development, the Pune Police issued a notice to Puja Khedkar requesting her presence to record the statements regarding her harassment complaint against Diwase.

Khedkar had also been called to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie and her training had been put on hold.

The letter from the Additional Chief Secretary, Nitin Gadre, read, “LBSNAA Mussoorie has decided to keep your district training programme on hold and immediately recall you for further necessary action.”

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar blamed the administrative set-up for the trainee IAS officer’s controversy and said that earlier, there was a dialogue with the administration but now, there are only directions given.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Pune initiated an inquiry against the father of Puja Khedkar, Dilip Khedkar, to investigate the unaccounted wealth owned by the family.

Earlier, the Pune Police had decided to take action against the Audi car that was used by the officer, who was transferred from Pune to Washim in Maharashtra for misusing her authority. The IAS officer has been accused of allegedly abusing her authority.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, a local court in Pune district, Maharashtra, remanded Manorama Khedkar, the mother of Puja Khedkar, to police custody until July 20. She was arrested on Thursday for allegedly threatening a person with a gun over a land dispute in June last year. After the arrest, Manorama Khedkar was produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court in Pune with a request for seven days of police custody. (ANI)