IAS officer in dog-walking row, Sanjeev Khirwar, named new MCD chief

Sanjeev Khirwar, the IAS officer embroiled in a 2022 controversy for walking his dog in Thyagraj Stadium, has been appointed the new Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), returning from his punitive transfer to Ladakh.

IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar, who had stirred controversy in 2022 for emptying Delhi's Thyagraj Stadium to walk his dog, has been appointed as the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), according to a notification issued by the Central Government.

"Exercising powers conferred by Section 54 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, the Central Government has appointed Sanjeev Khirwar, LAS (AGMUT:1994) as Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi," the notification read on Wednesday.

Khirwar, a 1994 AGMUT cadre officer, was transferred to Ladakh in 2022 after controversy erupted over him emptying out a stadium to walk his dog at Thyagraj Stadium. Khirwar served as the Secretary in Ladakh UT from 2022 to 2026. He will be overtaking Ashwani Kumar, a 1992 AGMUT cadre IAS officer appointed in 2024 as MCD Commissioner.

While in Delhi, Khirwar served as Principal Secretary (Revenue) and the Divisional Commissioner. He also held the additional charge of the Environment Secretary in the Delhi government.

The 2022 Stadium Controversy

In May of 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs transferred Khirwar and his wife Rinku Dugga, the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre IAS officers out of Delhi as punishment for their act. He had stirred up controversy for walking his dog at the Delhi government-run Thyagraj Stadium after athletes were forced to finish practice earlier than usual. He has been transferred to Ladakh, while his wife has been transferred to Arunachal Pradesh.

The MHA took the action soon after Delhi Chief Secretary submitted a report to it in the evening on the factual position of the then news report.

"The MHA had sought a report from the Chief Secretary, Delhi, on the news report regarding the misuse of facilities at Thyagraj Stadium by Sanjeev Khirwar and his wife, Rinku Dugga. Chief Secretary, Delhi, submitted a report later in the evening on the factual position to the MHA. In the meantime, Khirwar has been transferred by MHA to Ladakh and Dhugga to Arunachal Pradesh. Necessary action will be initiated based on the report," said MHA sources.

Previous Postings

Khirwar served as the Private Secretary to the Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath between 2009 and 2014. He was then posted at the Commerce Ministry and transferred to Delhi in 2018 as the Secretary of Health and Family Welfare. Over the past few years, he has been posted in the environment, general administration and revenue departments. (ANI)

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