Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Uttarakhand Assembly on Tuesday when the BJP demanded a discussion on the “deteriorating law and order” situation in the State, provoking a sharp reaction from the Congress, which said the Opposition had no moral right to seek a debate on the subject after its MLA “attacked a horse with lathis” during a protest march here on Monday.
The police have registered a case against BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi and his supporters under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, while animal rights activists have lodged a complaint against him. The attack provoked strong reaction on social media.
This enraged Mr. Joshi who allegedly began hitting a 13-year-old police horse, Shaktiman, causing a fracture in one of its hind legs. Chief Minister Harish Rawat visited the stable at the police lines where it has been kept for treatment.
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The animal on Tuesday underwent a surgical procedure to fix one of its hind legs after which authorities said no amputation was required. The horse was operated upon by a team of doctors from the Pantnagar Veterinary College.
The attack saw the ruling Congress and main opposition BJP locked in a verbal clash in the assembly even as people poured their wrath on Mr. Joshi. Mr. Rawat asked the Dehradun SSP to take the help of doctors of a veterinary hospital in Chennai.
Mr. Joshi visited the police lines stable to enquire about the horse’s condition. Denying the charges, Mr. 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.
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Claiming that he had not inflicted any injury on the horse, Mr. Joshi said the horse went out of control during the protests and its hind leg got stuck in a hole dug to put up the barricades. This had led to the injuries.