10 days after horses fall off highway, cops file an FIR

Jun 25, 2009 . Thu

Mumbai : Ten days after two horses — which were allegedly a part of an illegal horse race — fell off the Andheri flyover, landing on the busy Western Express Highway, the Andheri police has finally registered an First Information Report against the ‘unknown owner’ of the animals. The FIR comes after several follow-ups and a series of investigations by Newsline on the death of the horses.

“The FIR has been filed as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960). We have now begun investigation in the case,” said Shivaji Deshmukh, senior police inspector of Andheri police station on Wednesday. According to the investigating officer of the case, police sub-inspector A A Sonawane, “We are trying to trace the owner of the horses who is suspected to reside in Anna Wadi, Sahar. However, neighbours indicate that the owner has left for Nashik, and we are now searching for horse owners across the city to get a clue in the case.”

Sonawane said that the police also traced the tempo which alleged picked up the horses from the spot immediately after the accident and dropped them somewhere near Sahar Gaon. “We have taken the statement of the driver of the tempo. It appears that the tempo was parked nearby when a group of men rushed to the driver and asked him to help pick up two animals. The driver seems to have agreed in goodwill. However, the group took the horses and asked the driver to unload them mid-way at Sahar. By then the driver was too frightened and fled,” Sonawane said.

The two horses were allegedly a part of 10-12 horse-drawn carriages, racing on the Andheri flyover at full speed at around 3 pm on June 14. Onlookers said that the carriage the horses were attached to gave way and flung the two animals down the flyover.

Last Tuesday, Newsline along with a representative of PAWS visited Dharam Sai Nagar, Anna Wadi, the plot near Hotel Leela Kempenski, where the alleged owner lives. Here, we spotted seven horses which according to residents belong to the same owner. On Wednesday, PAWS sent formal complaints, along with photographic evidence and the name of the alleged owner, to the Andheri Police station, the Sahar Police Station and the commissioner of police, asking for action against the owner for letting horses take part in illegal races on the streets of the city. The complaints stated that using animals for public performance without permission is illegal as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960) and the Performing Animal Rules (1973 and 2001). Action can be initiated as per the Indian Penal Code (1860) and Bombay Police Act (1951) too, it stated.