The oath-taking ceremony of BJP MP Durga Das Uikey on Monday garnered unexpected attention due to a video showing a shadowy animal walking in the Rashtrapati Bhavan corridor, which some speculated to be a big cat, possibly a leopard.

However, the Delhi Police clarified in a statement on 'X' that the animal in question is a "common house cat."




Amid widespread speculation and the circulation of the video showing Uikey signing the register and walking towards President Droupadi Murmu with the mysterious animal in the background, a Delhi Police official confirmed that only dogs and domestic cats are present within the presidential palace. A forest department official further corroborated that there have been no previous sightings of leopards on the presidential estate.

"We checked with Rashtrapati Bhavan security whether the animal was a leopard after the video surfaced on social media. They confirmed there was no leopard inside, only dogs and cats," said the police official.

The swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi government, held before 8,000 guests in the brightly lit forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, heightened interest in the animal seen walking casually in the columned corridor, which formed the backdrop of the event.

Source : Republic world