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Vets amputate leg of police horse allegedly assaulted by lawmaker

Xinhua, March 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

Veterinarians in India Thursday carried out an emergency amputation of a police horse that was brutally assaulted during a protest rally, officials said.

The horse was beaten brutally during a protest rally by rightwing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday in Dehradun city, the capital of northern Indian sate of Uttarakhand.

"Doctors were of the view that the horse might lose its life by tomorrow morning due to the spread of gangrene, so on their advice we decided to amputate its leg urgently," Uttarakhand police chief B S Sidhu told media.

The veterinary surgeons were forced to go for amputation of the animal after it was found that blood supply to its injured leg had stopped.

Reports said the horse was hit with wooden sticks, allegedly by BJP legislator Ganesh Joshi and his associates during their protest against Congress party-led local government.

Joshi though rejects the charge. However, pictures caught him brandishing a stick in front of the horse.

Following the attack, the TV footage aired by news channels showed the white horse struggling with its broken and bloodied hind limb.

The visuals of the injured horse evoked emotional reactions on social networking sites with people mockingly posting hashtag #IsHorseAntiNational.

Earlier doctors performed four-hour-long surgery on the horse, however their efforts could not help it stand on its all fours.

Police have registered a case against Joshi and booked him for attacking police horse and breaking its leg.

The horse named 'Shaktiman' according to reports was part of police ceremonial parades since it was a three-year-old colt.

A federal minister and known animal rights activists Maneka Gandhi said she has written to the party demanding Joshi's expulsion.

A US based animal rights group - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has written to BJP president Amit Shah and Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal urging them to investigate the matter and disqualify Joshi. Endit