The Pune city police have issued a show cause notice to Manorama Dilip Khedkar, mother of controversial probationary IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, questioning why her gun licence should not be cancelled.
A video showing Manorama Khedkar brandishing a gun at a farmer went viral on social media. In the video, Manorama is seen with a few bouncers, holding a pistol and engaging in a heated argument with a farmer who was objecting to her cultivating a disputed portion of land. The incident reportedly took place on June 5, 2023, in Dhadawali village, Mulshi tehsil, Pune district.
Pandharinath Pasalkar, the 65-year-old farmer in the video, filed a first information report (FIR) at the Paud police station in Pune rural on Friday against Manorama, her husband Dilip Khedkar—both residents of National Housing Society in Baner—Ambadas Khedkar of Ambi village in Haveli, and other unidentified individuals.
The police charged Manorama and the other accused under sections 323, 504, 506, 143, 144, 147, 148, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Indian Arms Act.
In light of the FIR against Manorama, Pune City Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta issued the show cause notice. It stated that Manorama allegedly violated the rules and regulations regarding the gun licence, and her irresponsible act posed a potential threat to the lives of ordinary citizens. Consequently, she is deemed unfit to possess a gun licence.
The police commissioner asked Manorama to respond to the show cause notice within 10 days, failing which the process of cancelling her gun licence would begin.
Meanwhile, Inspector Manoj Yadav of the Paud police station said on Saturday that they conducted the spot panchnama and recorded statements from witnesses. “Investigation is ongoing. We are gathering evidence,” Yadav stated.
According to the election affidavit submitted by Diliprao Khedkar, Pooja’s father and a retired government officer, when he contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Ahmednagar South constituency, the family owns significant land in the village.
