India ‘punishes’ bureaucrat couple after stadium dog walk furore

Top official and his wife transferred to opposite ends of the country after report says they had a sports stadium shut so they could walk their dog. The Indian government has ordered the transfer of a bureaucrat couple to opposite ends of the country following outrage over a media report alleging they forced a sports stadium in the capital to shut early in order to walk their dog. India’s home ministry on Thursday transferred Sanjeev Khirwar, a top bureaucrat in the Delhi city state government, to Ladakh in Indian-administered Kashmir, while his wife Rinku Dugga, a secretary in the Delhi government, was sent to Arunachal Pradesh state in the distant northeast, according to an official order. The ministry’s order came after a social media furore triggered by a report by The Indian Express newspaper, saying that athletes and coaches at the Thyagraj Stadium in the Indian capital – built for the 2010 Commonwealth Games – had to clear out by early evening so Khirwar could walk his dog. “On the brighter side – wherever the dog goes – Ladakh or Arunachal – it’ll have plenty of space to move around and walk … without having to shut down a stadium,” said a tweet.