Brave equine in grim battle for life

“The doctors were of the view that the horse might lose its life by  tomorrow(Friday) morning due to the spread of gangrene, so we decided to amputate his leg urgently,” Uttarakhand director general of police BS Sidhu said.

“The doctors diagnosed that the blood supply to the injured portion (in his leg) had stopped,” he added. A man was arrested from Haldwani on Thursday in Nainital for pulling up the reins of the police horse and causing it to fall during the protest.

Identified as Pramod Bora, the man was arrested from Mukhani area of Haldwani on a requisition by Dehradun police, Nainital SSP Sweety Agarwal said. He has been handed over to a police team from Dehradun and is being taken to the state capital, she said.

The Dehradun Police earlier said the condition of Shaktiman had deteriorated. It has been more than 70 hours since Shaktiman broke his leg during the BJP rally. Mussoorie MLA Joshi faces three police cases for allegedly breaking the horse’s leg. But the lawmaker’s party has come up with a video to prove their point that the horse tripped and fell on its own, fracturing its leg.

Expressing concern over the horse’s recovery on Thursday, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat assured the best possible treatment would be given to the ailing animal. Rawat said that the entire episode had sullied the image of his state and lamented the fact that such a treatment was meted out to the horse.

“I am worried about the horse. This entire episode is a blot of my state’s image. It is sad that the horse, which was on duty, is not being looked at from humanitarian point of view. I have given instructions that best possible treatment be given to the horse,” he said. The Mussourie MLA visited the injured animal and said that the horse needs better treatment and must be sent to the national capital.

Across the country, people were outraged at the savage manner in which Shaktiman was attacked, and have demanded that action be taken against the BJP MLA. Many offers for donations are also pouring in.