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Who is Sanjeev Khirwar? IAS officer who emptied stadium for dog walk gets big Delhi role
IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar, set to be new MCD commissioner, courted controversy in 2022 after it was found he got a Delhi stadium emptied to walk his dog.
Sanjeev Khirwar, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been appointed as the as the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, according to an official order by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The appointment was notified through an official order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and communicated to the office of the lieutenant governor of Delhi.
Sanjeev Khirwar is not making headlines for the first time. He courted controversy few years ago for something that was seen as an abuse of power.
Who is Sanjeev Khirwar
Khirwar is an Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre IAS officer of the 1994 batch. He was transferred to Ladakh from Delhi in May 2022 after a public row.
The officer had allegedly cleared the Thyagraj Stadium complex and closed it early in the evening for all athletes so that "he could walk his dog". He had strongly denied the allegations. He was, however, transferred to Ladakh.
Centre had also shunted out Khirwar's wife Rinku Dugga, also a 1994 batch officers of the AGMUT cadre, over the matter. Dugga was sent to Arunachal Pradesh.
Khirwar is succeeding Ashwani Kumar, a 1992-batch IAS officer, the MCD commissioner. Kumar has been transferred to Jammu and Kashmir.
Khirwar takes charge ahead of the MCD’s budget presentation, slated for later this month, with key administrative and financial challenges lined up for him to face.
The commissioner plays a key role in overseeing the corporation’s daily functions, implementing policies and coordinating with various departments.
Outgoing MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar, meanwhile, served as the MCD commissioner of the MCD from June 2024 to January 2026, as an earlier HT report mentioned.
Prior to that, Kumar served as the special officer (SO) overseeing the unification of the three municipal corporations into the unified MCD between May 2022 and February 2023—till the elections were held and mayor was appointed. He has also held the charge of principal secretary (home) of the Delhi government.
