New Delhi: BJP MP Durga Das Uikey's oath-taking ceremony made a splash on Monday for the unlikeliest of reasons -- a video of a shadowy animal sauntering at the Rashtrapati Bhavan corridor that some wagered was a big cat, maybe even a leopard.
The Delhi Police, however, said in a statement on 'X' that the animal seen in the video is a "common house cat". As speculation swirled and the video of Uikey signing the register and walking towards President Droupadi Murmu with the mysterious four-legged animal in the background was circulated endlessly, a Delhi police officer said there are only dogs and 'domestic' cats inside the presidential palace.
There are no prior reports of any leopard seen in the presidential estate, a forest department official added in response to social media conjecture that the animal must be a leopard.
"Just came across this viral video from the oath ceremony of @narendramodi ji held at @rashtrapatibhvn. As per the video, a leopard was seen roaming casually. Very risky," a social media user said on 'X'.
Responding to the speculation, the police officer said, "We checked with Rashtrapati Bhavan security whether the animal was a leopard after the video surfaced on social media. They said there was no leopard inside. There are only dogs and cats inside the President House."
