Delhi police end mystery over animal spotted at oath ceremony, identifies it as 'house cat'

A "cat-like" animal as claimed by netizens, was spotted in the background when BJP MP Durga Das Uikey greeted President Droupadi Murmu after taking the oath as a minister.

Ending the mystery, Delhi Police 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."

"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.

The post came after a short video went viral to which netizens reacted with surprise when a 'strange animal' could be seen strolling in the Rashtrapati Bhavan when the oath-taking ceremony of PM Narendra Modi and his ministers was taking place on Sunday.

The grand ceremony was attended by nearly 8,000 guests which included foreign dignitaries, Indian politicians, and showbiz personalities, among others.

In the short video clip, an "unrecognized" animal could be seen walking in the corridor of the iconic building.

The world of internet started buzzing over the viral clip with netizens guessing which animal could have been seen in the video.

In a grand ceremony held in India's iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, which was attended by foreign dignitaries, business personalities and showbiz stars, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath on Sunday evening, creating a historic moment in the country since he became the first non-Congress leader to return to power for a third term.

In a rare event in Indian politics, former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had previously achieved it.