Dog-walking row behind him: IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar returns as MCD chief; strays now his ‘pet project’

NEW DELHI: Sanjeev Khirwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer, has been appointed the new municipal commissioner of Delhi, more than three years after he was shifted out of the capital following a controversy over walking his dog at Thyagraj Stadium.

He is expected to take charge on Thursday.

Khirwar was moved out of Delhi in 2022 after athletes and coaches training at Thyagraj Stadium alleged that they were asked to wrap up training earlier than usual, by 7pm, “as Khirwar and his wife, Rinku Dugga, also a 1994 batch IAS officer, had to walk their dog there.”


At that time, Khirwar was Delhi’s principal secretary (Revenue).

Then Thyagraj administrator Ajit Chaudhary had refuted the allegations, saying the official time for athletes to train was till 7pm and coaches and athletes would leave after that.

Khirwar also denied the allegations, terming them “absolutely incorrect.” Athletes, however, maintained that they usually trained until 8.30pm but were forced to wrap up by 7pm, disrupting their routines.

Following the controversy, Khirwar was transferred to Ladakh, where he served as principal secretary handling key departments including health and medical education.

He was transferred back to Delhi earlier this month as part of a major revamp of AGMUT-cadre IAS and IPS officers. He will succeed Ashwani Kumar, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, who was transferred to J&K earlier this month.

Khirwar had earlier served as private secretary to the Union Minister for Women and Child Development between 2009 and 2014. His wife, Rinku Dugga, was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh in 2022, where she served as principal secretary of the Indigenous Affairs Department and was given compulsory retirement in September 2023.

What happened in 2022

In 2022, Sanjeev Khirwar was at the center of a storm over allegedly walking his dog at Delhi’s Thyagraj Stadium. Media reports claimed sportsmen using the stadium were forced to vacate early in the evening “as Khirwar comes to walk his dog in the stadium.”

Khirwar, then principal secretary (Revenue) in Delhi, and his wife Rinku Dugga were both transferred via a Ministry of home affairs (MHA) order—he to Ladakh, and she to Arunachal Pradesh.

Official sources said the MHA had sought a report from the Delhi chief secretary regarding the misuse of facilities at Thyagraj Stadium. The chief secretary submitted a report to the MHA “on the factual position,” prompting the ministry to order their transfer. Sources added, “Necessary action will be initiated based on the report.”

Some sportsmen said they were forced out of the stadium in time for Khirwar to come with his dog. A video that emerged showed Khirwar and his wife “walking on the athletic tracks inside Thyagraj Stadium with a dog.”

Following the controversy, then Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered all sports facilities run by the Delhi government, including Thyagraj Stadium, to be available for sportspersons till 10pm.