Puja Khedkar Alleges Harassment By Pune Collector Suhas Diwase In Letter To Maharashtra Govt, Says 'He Subjected Me To Insults'

Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Puja Khedkar, whose candidature was recently cancelled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), wrote a letter to the Maharashtra government last month to clarify her position amid the controversy.

In the letter dated July 11 to the Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Khedkar alleged that Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase had “subjected her to insults” since the first day of her training, reported the Indian Express.

"Because of the letter (sent by Diwase to the Additional Chief Secretary and the subsequent media coverage), my image has become that of an arrogant officer in the public’s eye. This is causing me mental trauma, and I am extremely disturbed,” Khedkar stated in the three-page letter written in Marathi. “I don’t know the reason, but since the day I joined as a probationary officer, the Pune Collector has been subjecting me to insults,” she added.

Khedkar explained that Additional Collector Ajay More had voluntarily offered her his ante-chamber and directed his staff to set it up for her. The staff inquired about her needs and arranged stationery, among other things. However, after District Collector Diwase returned to the office the following day, he was informed about her seating arrangement in the ante-chamber. “Perhaps he was angered by this, he summoned the tehsildar concerned and ordered to remove my furniture from the ante-chamber. When I spoke to him, he alleged that I had encroached the ante-chamber and he wouldn’t listen to any of my explanations,” Khedkar said.

She mentioned that the next day she tried to meet Diwase, but since he was busy, she texted him. “I apologised to him and told him that I would accept whatever decision he made about my seating arrangement. I thought the issue was resolved,” she further wrote.

In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, Diwase alleged that Khedkar demanded a separate cabin, car, residential quarters, and a peon even before joining duty as a trainee on June 3. She was also accused of misusing her power as a civil servant by using her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate. On July 8, she was transferred to Washim due to her “arrogant behaviour.”