A “cat-like” animal as claimed by many on social media, was spotted in the background when BJP MP Durga Das Uikey greeted President Droupadi Murmu after taking the oath as a minister.
New Delhi: The Delhi Police has cleared the air over a video that went viral on social media, in which a “mysterious” animal was spotted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan during the oath-taking ceremony yesterday.
A “cat-like” animal as claimed by many on social media, was spotted in the background when BJP MP Durga Das Uikey greeted President Droupadi Murmu after taking the oath as a minister.
What The Delhi Police Said
The Delhi Police have ended the mystery and said, “Some media channels and social media handles are showing an animal image captured during the live telecast of oath-taking ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday, claiming it to be a wild animal.”
Some media channels and social media handles are showing an animal image captured during the live telecast of oath taking ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday, claiming it to be a wild animal.
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) June 10, 2024
“These facts are not true, the animal captured on camera is a common house cat. Please don’t adhere to such frivolous rumours,” the Delhi Police said in a post on X.
Speculations swirled on social media, with some claiming that it was a leopard. An animal present near the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, one of the most secured complexes in India, that too during the oath-taking ceremony led to the conjectures. News agency PTI quoted a Delhi Police official and said there are only dogs and ‘domestic’ cats inside the complex.
Quoting an official from the Forest Department, PTI reported that, there are no prior reports of any leopard seen in the presidential estate.
Modi 3.0 – The Oath Taking Ceremony
President Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy to a 72-member Council of Ministers, including 30 cabinet ministers, 36 Ministers of State (MoS) and five MoS with independent charge.
Key figures like Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar continue as Cabinet ministers. The new Council of Ministers includes 11 ministers from the NDA alliance partners.