On 21st January (Wednesday), IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar was appointed as the new Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner. Notably, Kumar was removed from the national capital in 2022 after he told athletes at the Thyagaraj Stadium complex to leave early so he could “walk his dog” there. The episode led to a massive controversy. The central government has now issued a notification approving the fresh appointment.
“Exercising powers conferred by Section 54 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, the Central Government has appointed Sanjeev Khirwar, IAS (AGMUT:1994) as Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi,” the official statement read. Khirwar is a member of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre from 1994 and would replace Ashwani Kumar, an officer from the 1992 batch who was named MCD Commissioner in 2024 and served till January 2026 before he was transferred to Jammu and Kashmir.
Khirwar, the Principal Secretary (Revenue) of Delhi at the time and his IAS spouse Rinku Dugga wanted to walk their dog in Thyagaraj Stadium, where young athletes train, and hence it had to be closed for sporting events earlier than usual. A coach stated, “We used to train till 8-8.30 pm under lights earlier. But now, we are asked to leave the ground by 7 pm so that the officer can walk his dog on the ground. Our training and practice routine has been disrupted.”
A junior athlete had said, “Earlier, we continued training till 8.30 pm and sometimes even 9 pm, but now we have no option.” A parent complained, “My child’s practice is getting disrupted. Even if they say they use the facilities late at night, can you justify using a state-owned stadium to walk your dog? This is a gross misuse of power.”
The accusation was called “absolutely incorrect” by Khirwar, who added that he “sometimes” walked his pet at the facility, but he disputed that it interfered with the practice of the athletes. Khirwar was then transferred to Ladakh, and Dugga to Arunachal Pradesh, by the Ministry of Home Affairs as the backlash intensified.
