IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar, currently serving as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), has come under intense public and political scrutiny following the deadly building collapse in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area. The five storey structure, being used as a paying guest accommodation for students, collapsed during repair work, killing seven people and injuring several others. The incident has raised questions over building safety, unauthorised construction and the effectiveness of civic inspections. The controversy has already resulted in disciplinary action within the civic body. Five MCD officials from the South Zone, including the Deputy Commissioner, Superintending Engineer, Executive Engineer, Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineer, have been suspended following the tragedy.

Khirwar said the MCD had been carrying out action against unauthorised structures and claimed that demolition orders had been issued for several buildings in the area. He also said hundreds of structures had been sealed or identified for further action in recent months. Khirwar's name had previously made national headlines in 2022, when athletes and coaches at Delhi's Thyagaraj Stadium alleged that they were asked to leave the facility earlier than usual so that the IAS officer could walk his dog. Khirwar denied that the allegations were true, saying he sometimes took his pet to the stadium but that it did not interfere with athletes' training. Following the controversy, he was transferred out of Delhi to Ladakh, while his wife, IAS officer Rinku Dugga, was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh.

After spending more than three years outside the capital, Khirwar returned to Delhi in January 2026 as the MCD Commissioner. His appointment brought renewed attention to the earlier controversy, but his current scrutiny is linked to the much more serious questions surrounding civic oversight after the Satya Niketan collapse. Student organisation ABVP has demanded Khirwar's resignation, alleging failures in ensuring the safety of students living in the area. Protesters also gathered outside the MCD headquarters, with some subsequently detained by police. The Satya Niketan tragedy has prompted the Delhi government to consider mandatory structural audits and safety certifications for buildings being used as PG accommodations, schools, nursing homes and other public establishments. While the investigation will determine individual responsibility, Khirwar's position at the helm of the civic body has placed him at the centre of the debate over whether Delhi's building-safety and enforcement mechanisms are working effectively.