Pooja Khedkar, the controversial probationary IAS officer currently under public scrutiny, has filed a police complaint alleging harassment against Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase. According to police sources, Khedkar filed the complaint with the Washim police on July 15.
The complaint was transferred to the Pune police Tuesday night. According to the sources, the case is likely to be investigated by the Crime Branch and DM Diwse’s statement will be recorded soon. A decision on whether to file an FIR will be made following the probe.
“Women police personnel visited Khedkar at her residence in Washim on Monday when she lodged a complaint of harassment against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase,” an official said. Khedkar came under the spotlight after reports surfaced of her demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled to as a trainee IAS officer during her posting in Pune, where she served as assistant collector.
WHO IS SUHAS DIWASE?
It was Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase who formally communicated Khedkar’s misconduct to the state chief secretary. In an exhaustive report, he detailed the probationary IAS officer’s “sense of entitlement” and behavioral issues during her probation period in Pune.
In the letter dated June 24, Diwase stated that Khedkar not only made outlandish demands but that her father, Deelip Khedkar, a retired IAS officer, also allegedly intimidated district staff to fulfill his daughter’s demands.
Diwase further noted in his report that it would be inappropriate to continue Khedkar’s training in Pune, as this could lead to administrative issues. The report also mentioned that she refused an offered chamber because it did not have an attached bathroom.
Subsequently, the state government transferred the 32-year-old probationary IAS officer to Washim district as supernumerary assistant collector following Diwase’s complaint.
KHEDKAR’S DISTRICT TRAINING PROGRAMME PUT ON HOLD
This development also comes after the Maharashtra government on Tuesday said that Khedkar’s district training program was put on hold amid allegations of forging disability certificates to clear her civil services examination. Additionally, she was summoned back to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie by July 23 for “necessary action.”
“You are hereby relieved from the district training program of the state government of Maharashtra… You are instructed to join the academy at the earliest but not later than 23rd July 2024 under any circumstance,” stated a letter issued by Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Nitin Gadre.
