Arrest the person responsible for Shaktiman's death: Maneka Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Union minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi today sought the arrest of the person responsible for the death of police horse 'Shaktiman' and demanded the animal should no more be part of police forces.

"I am deeply saddened by the death of 'Shaktiman'. It is an extremely unfortunate incident. Horses should no longer be part of our police system," she said.

The horse had lost its leg after it was brutally beaten during clashes between BJP protesters and the police on March 14.

The 13-year-old animal was given a prosthetic leg and confined to the police lines. It was a well-trained horse and part of the Uttarakhand Mounted Police for years.

Gandhi said Shaktiman was a "police officer on duty" and the person responsible for his death should be arrested for killing a "police officer".

"They serve no purpose and in every crowd engagement they are at the mercy of any vicious person who is too cowardly to do anything but injure the defenseless animal. 'Shaktiman' was a police officer on duty and the person who put him through so much pain and ultimately killed him should be arrested for killing a police officer," she said.

'Shaktiman' had suffered multiple fractures in its hind leg during the protest and th incident had sparked massive outrage among the public including on social media.

The horse passed away at 5.30 PM in Dehradun. He was suffering from medical-related complications.