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Amid the continuing outrage over injury to a police horse allegedly in an attack by a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, the animal underwent a surgical procedure to fix one of its hind legs after which authorities said no amputation was required.
The ghastly attack on the beast during a protest on Monday saw the ruling Congress and main opposition BJP locked in a verbal clash in the Uttarakhand assembly even as people poured their wrath on Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi for showing cruelty to the animal.
Police have registered a case against Joshi and his supporters under Cruelty to Animals Act in connection with the incident, while several animal rights activists including Puja Bahukhandi have also lodged a police complaint against the MLA for his “inhuman” act.
Shaktiman,13, was operated upon by a team of doctors from PantnagarVeterinaryCollege after which Senior Superintendent of Police Sadanand Date said, “The injury has been fixed and no amputation was required.”
There was speculation that the leg of the horse might need to be sawed off.
The attack on the horse of Uttarakhand Mounted Police occurred near Rispana bridge during a protest march by BJP to the state assembly. When intercepted near the bridge, BJP workers tried to jump over the barricades prompting security personnel, including the mounted police, to swing into action to control the protesters.
This enraged Joshi who allegedly began hitting the 13-year-old horse Shaktiman with a stick, fracturing one of its hind legs.
The equine was the cynosure of all eyes with Chief Minister Harish Rawat visiting the stable located at the police lines to inquire about its condition.
“A look at the horse shows the excruciating pain the animal is undergoing. A political party should not vent its frustration on a hapless animal in this manner.
“Political workers must learn the value of restraint and tolerance. It seems the word tolerance does not exist in BJP’s dictionary,” Rawat said.
Ganesh Joshi also visited the police lines stable.
Claiming that he had not inflicted injury on the horse, Joshi in a statement said, the animal went out of control during the protests and one of its hind legs got stuck in a hole dug up to put up the barricades. This had led to injuries to the horse, he said, and accused the government of hatching a conspiracy to “malign” BJP and deflect public attention from its own failures.
Denying the charges levelled against him, Joshi said it was part of the state government’s conspiracy to malign him and his party and deflect people’s attention from its failures.
Claiming that he had not inflicted injury on the horse, Joshi in a statement said, the horse went out of control during the protests and one of its hind legs got stuck in a hole dug up to put up the barricades.
On the video being circulated on social media showing him attacking the horse with a stick, Joshi said he was only trying to scare away the animal which had gone berserk, leaving a BJP worker badly injured.
Meanwhile, Joshi is being severely criticised on social media for showing cruelty to an animal.
While some are demanding that the BJP MLA be booked under criminal charges, others are advocating stern action by the party against him.
The matter rocked the assembly during zero hour when state BJP president and Leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt demanded a debate on “deteriorating” law and order scenario which was reflected in the “repressive measures” adopted by the administration to quell an agitation by BJP.