Who is Sanjeev Khirwar? IAS officer shunned over dog-walking in Delhi stadium returns as MCD commissioner

IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar, 1994-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as the new commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

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.

Khirwar takes charge at a time when the civic body is preparing to present its budget before the Municipal Corporation House later this month and is dealing with key administrative and financial challenges.

The Commissioner plays a central role in overseeing the corporation's daily functions, implementing policies and coordinating with various departments.

In May 2022, while Khirwar was serving as Delhi's principal secretary (revenue), he allegedly cleared the Thyagraj Stadium complex and closed it early in the evening for athletes and coaches training so that he and his wife “could walk his dog”.

Ajit Chaudhary, Thyagraj administrator, had refuted the allegations, saying that the official time for athletes to train was till 7 PM. Khirwar had also denied the allegations, terming them “absolutely incorrect”.

However, athletes claimed they usually used to train until 8.30 PM, but were forced to wrap up their training by 7 PM because of the Khirwar.

He was transferred to Ladakh from Delhi.

Between 2009 and 2014, Sanjeev Khirwar served as private secretary to the Union minister for women and child development.

Following the 2022 row, his wife, Rinku Dugga, also a 1994 batch IAS officer, was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh. She served as the principal secretary of the indigenous affairs department there.

Rinku, according to a Times of India report, was given compulsory retirement in September 2023.