IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar, who sparked controversy in 2022 after Delhi’s Thyagaraj Stadium was allegedly cleared to allow him and his wife to walk their dog, has been appointed Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
“In exercise of the 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 the Municipal Corporation of Delhi,” the central government said in a notification.
Khirwar will replace Ashwani Kumar, a 1992-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer who was appointed MCD Commissioner in 2024.
The controversial incident in 2022 occurred when athletes at Thyagaraj Stadium were forced to end their practice early so Khirwar and his wife could walk their dog. The episode triggered public outrage, prompting the Union Home Ministry to seek a report from the Delhi Chief Secretary.
Based on the findings, Khirwar was transferred to Ladakh, while his wife, Rinku Dugga, was posted to Arunachal Pradesh. Khirwar served as Secretary in the Ladakh UT from 2022 to 2026. Both he and Dugga are 1994-batch IAS officers from the AGMUT cadre.
Following the controversy, the Delhi government issued a directive ensuring that all state-run sports facilities remain open for athletes until 10 pm.
The BJP’s Delhi unit had also written to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, demanding action against Khirwar, stating that “such an officer does not hold the right to be on that post.”
Khirwar has previously served as Principal Secretary (Revenue) and Divisional Commissioner in Delhi. He also held the additional charge of Environment Secretary in the Delhi government.
