Video: Dehradun BJP MLA allegedly 'breaks' police horse’s leg with lathi - animal may lose injured limb

March 14, 2016, NewsCrunch

BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi allegedly thrashed a police horse’s leg with a lathi during a protest in Dehradun on Monday.

The horse’s leg was broken and needs to be amputated, say police.

Ganesh Joshi was leading a protest march against Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat. As the police tried to stop the marchers, he got into a confrontation with them.

He lost his cool and allegedly vented it on a mounted police horse in the vicinity.

Dehradun SSP Sadanand Date was quoted by ANI saying a video footage showed MLA Ganesh Joshi hitting the horse

The Indian Express reported that an FIR has been lodged at Nehru Colony police station against the BJP MLA and his unidentified associates. The suspects have been booked under the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act, Section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc., and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC.

However, Joshi denied that he was responsible for injuring the horse. He said a horse hit a party worker during protest. So, he snatched a stick from the policeman and tried to stop the animal from attacking others, he said.

He told Express that the rear leg of the horse got trapped in an iron-angle on the roadside. The horse got injured when the leg was pulled out, he said. "I did not beat up the horse,” he added.
According to the doctors at IndianMilitaryAcademy's VeterinaryHospital, the horse’s leg may have to be amputated, Dehradun SSP told India Today.