'Why shame Arunachal': Mahua Moitra on transfer of IAS officer over dog-walking row

Trinamool Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra has accused the ministry of home affairs of only paying the lip service to the northeast after it transferred IAS officer Rinku Dugga, wife of IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar to Arunachal Pradesh after it was reported that they made the Thyagraj Stadium shut for athletes so that they could walk their pet inside. Tagging Union minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu, Mahua urged them to protest against MHA's treatment of Arunachal Pradesh as a "dump for your rubbish". Also Read: Who is IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar

The Lok Sabha MP said the transfer of an 'errant Delhi bureaucrat' to Arunachal Pradesh is a shame for the state. Khirwar has been transferred to Ladakh. 

Soon after the IAS couple's misuse of the Delhi government-run stadium was reported by The Indian Express, the Aam Aadmi Party government issued a directive that all sports facilities will remain open till 10pm so that athletes do not face any inconvenience. Later on Thursday, the transfer order of the IAS couple was issued. While Sanjeev Khirwar has been transferred to Ladakh, Rinku Dugga's new posting is in Arunachal Pradesh.

#WhereWillTheDogGo trends after IAS couple transferred over Delhi stadium row

The photo of the IAS couple walking their dog on the empty ground went viral on Thursday and the subsequent transfer was seen as a punishment posting by many. While former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah questioned why transfer to Ladakh, which is a beautiful place, should be seen as a punishment posting, Mahua Moitra questioned why Arunachal Pradesh should be punished by the posting of the errant IAS officer there.

"Why are people calling Ladakh a “punishment posting”? For one it’s a beautiful place with very hospitable people & some stunning places to visit and secondly it’s demoralising for the people there to be given the impression that officers only get sent as a punishment. And I’m sure the same applies to Arunachal, even though I’ve never visited the area," Omar Abdullah tweeted.

Both the IAS officers belong to the 1994 AGMUT cadre. While Khirwar was a senior officer of the Delhi government and the secretary of the environment department, Rinku Dugga was the secretary of Land and Building, Delhi government.