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India legislator arrested for 'assaulting' police horse

Xinhua, March 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

An Indian legislator from the ruling rightwing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) was Friday arrested for allegedly assaulting a police horse during a protest.

The horse was brutally beaten, after which veterinarians amputated its leg.

The legislator Ganesh Joshi from the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand has been sent to 14 days judicial custody by a local court .

"Joshi's arrest has been made on the basis of case registered against him in connection with the assault on the police horse causing serious injuries to its leg," an official said.

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

"There was no choice but to amputate as gangrene was spreading in the animal's body," Uttarakhand police chief B S Sidhu told media.

The horse was fitted with an artificial leg and made to stand on all its fours.

Reports said the horse was hit with wooden sticks, allegedly by Joshi and his associates during their protest against Congress party-led local government in Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand.

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.

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

A federal minister of BJP 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