Dehradun Police horse 'Shaktimaan' dies

DEHRADUN: Police horse, Shaktiman who was injured during a protest outside Uttarakhand assembly on March 14, passed away on Wednesday.
The cause of death will be ascertained after the postmortem.
Inspector general Sanjay Gunjyal told TOI, “It is extremely unfortunate and heart-breaking for us that the horse is no more. Post mortem will confirm the cause of death.”
After hind left leg of Shaktimaan was fractured on March 14, he was brought to the stable in Dehradun police lines.On March 17, his leg was amputated in a three-hour long operation by leading equine orthopedic surgeon Dr Phiroze Khambatta and a team of eight other vets.
In the last one month, the horse lost about 25 kgs, which his doctors claimed was in his favour as Shaktiman weighed over 400 kgs. According to Dr Rakesh Nautiyal, who was among the four vets treating the horse since March 14, Shaktimaan was improving.
During a BJP protest on March 14, a group of BJP leader led by Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi had allegedly attacked Shaktiman at a location close to the state assembly. As the condition of the horse deteriorated, experts were left with no other option than to amputate the hind left leg.
The 14-year-old horse was purchased for Rs 95,000 and inducted in police force on March 18, 2006.

BJP state chief Ajay Bhatt held the “irresponsible” approach of Harish Rawat government responsible for horse’s death. “There are top class experts who could have been called for the treatment but they were more interested in politicizing the issue rather than providing required medical aid,” said the BJP leader.