Bureaucrat couple banished after outcry over dog walk at stadium
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NEW DELHI • India ordered the transfer of a bureaucrat couple to opposite ends of the country, following public outcry over a media report alleging that they forced a sports stadium in Delhi to shut early in order to walk their dog.
India's Ministry of Home Affairs transferred Mr Sanjeev Khirwar, a top bureaucrat in the Delhi government, to Arunachal Pradesh state in the north-east and his wife Rinku Dugga, a secretary in the Delhi government, to Ladakh in the far north, according to an official order on Thursday.
Located at the eastern and western ends of the Himalayan mountain range, their new postings are some 3,200 km apart.
According to a report by the Indian Express, published with a photograph of Mr Khirwar and Ms Dugga walking their dog on the stadium track, athletes said they were forced to wrap up training early to make way for the couple's evening stroll.
Mr Khirwar was quoted as saying he "sometimes" took his pet for a walk at the stadium, but denied that it disrupted the practice routine of athletes.
The article triggered strong reactions.
"What is this bizarre misuse of power where athletes are forced to wrap up their training early because a (government) officer has to walk his dog. Pathetic!" Mr Gaurav Pandhi of the opposition Congress party said on Twitter.
REUTERS