During the assembly of newly elected MPs at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday for taking oath of office, an unexpected guest captivated everyone’s attention: a “mysterious animal”. Social media users were quick to react to the videos showing the animal wandering the stairs while MoS Durga Das Uikey took his oath, sparking speculation about it being a leopard. However, on Monday, Delhi Police dispelled the rumors, clarifying it was just a “common house cat”.
Posting on X, the police stated, “Some media channels and social media handles are showing an animal image… claiming it to be a wild animal. These facts are not true, the animal captured on camera is a common house cat. Please don’t adhere to such frivolous rumours.” An official said, “The camera angle and the lighting made the cat look bigger than it actually was.”
A Delhi Police official said there are only dogs and ‘domestic’ cats inside the complex, news agency PTI reported. The report further quoted an official from the Forest Department saying that there are no prior reports of any leopard seen in the presidential estate.
President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday administered the oath of office and secrecy to a 72-member Council of Ministers, comprising 30 cabinet ministers, 36 Ministers of State (MoS), and five MoS with independent charge.
Leaders such as Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar were retained as Cabinet ministers. The newly formed Council of Ministers also includes 11 ministers from NDA alliance partners.