Times City . Friday . September 11, 2009 . Page 2
Wrong turn? Police jeep injures horse
Mumbai: A police vehicle hit a horse outside Churchgate station on Thursday, bringing traffic to a standstill just as peak hour was beginning at around 5 pm. The north-bound police jeep was making an illegal U-turn near the excise commissioner’s office on Karve Road when it hit the horse, which was drawing a Victoria on the south-bound side of the road.
A senior official at Azad Maidan police station confirmed the mishap but said only the horse carriage had been damaged. The injured horse, apparently stunned, stood motionless on the street, leaning against the jeep. While passers-by milled around the police vehicle, the Victoria driver unhitched the injured animal and led it to one side where it stood quietly, bleeding from a chest wound.
The Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) despatched an ambulance to the spot. BSPCA secretary Col J C Khannasaid the horse had a deep lacerated wound on its chest, bruising on three legs, and dehydration. He said the animal had been given antibiotics and painkillers.
Traffic police sources said a U-turn was illegal unless a sign indicated it was allowed. There was no such indication where the accident occurred.
by the way its animals are treated." ---- Mahatma Gandhi
Date : 14.9.2009
To,
Senior Police Inspector
Azad Maidan Police Station
Esplaned Bldg., Gr. Floor., Near BMC Head Office,
Mahapalika Marg, Mumbai- 1.
Tel.: 22678115, 22620295, 22620697
Subject : Injury to a horse by Police van.
Reference : News article in The Times of India, dated Friday, September
Dear Sir,
This is to request you to file an FIR against the driver of the “Police Van” who has driven rashly and taken illegal turn at Churchgate as mentioned in the above-mentioned article (U-turn near the Excise Commissioner’s Office on Karve Road).
The driver has been negligent in his duties and has thus endangered the life and limb of the mute and helpless animal. Due to his negligence the poor horse has been injured grievously and thus is undergoing immense physical and mental agony.
I urge you to file an FIR against the driver and take stringent action against him so that no other driver dares to violate traffic laws and cause injuries to humans and animal, as live photos in the article is itself an evidence of the incident.
Kindly inform me of the action taken on my complaint at the earliest.
Thanking you.
Sunish Subramanian
Founder & Secretary, PAWS-Mumbai . Member, People For Animals
Hon. Animal Welfare Officer, Animal Welfare Board of India (Govt. of India)
Hon. Animal Welfare Officer, Committee to Monitor Animal Welfare Laws in Maharashtra (Appointed by Hon. the Bombay High Court)
Copy to :
The Commissioner of Police, Mumbai Police Head Quarters,
Opp. Crawford Market, Mumbai – 400 001.
The Addl. Commissioner of Police, South Region Office, Sir J.J. Road, Opp. Hume School, Nagpada, Mumbai – 400 008. Tel.: 23080024 / 23
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-1, 109 Valchand Herachand Marg, Opp. GPO, Fort, Mumbai – 400 001. Tel.: 22620453, 22671408
The Asst. Commissioner of Police, Azad Maidan Division Office, Bazaar Gate, Opp. CST Station, Fort, Mumbai – 400 001. Tel.: 22697148
----------Follow-Up-----------
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 . Page 6
Constable was behind the wheel of his jeep when it crashed into a horse carriage near Churchgate
A constable with the Motor Transport Department has been booked for negligent driving after he knocked down a carriage-drawing horse near Churchgate Railway Station recently.
Constable Sachin Jadhav was at the wheel of a police jeep when he took a U-turn near the Excise Commissioner’s office on Maharshi Karve Road and rammed into the Victoria on September 10. The carriage owner panicked and took off, leaving the horse to his fate on the road. The horse, which had sustained grievous injuries, stood motionless for over an hour before the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) was finally called in to take it to hospital.
“An FIR has been registered against Jadhav under Sections 279 and 336 for negligent driving and causing grievous injuries,” said Senior Police Inspector Bhaurao Bhawale.
However, he added, “As he belongs to the Motor Transport Department, we have now forwarded the case to them; they will initiate action against him.”
DCP K Y Joshi of the Motor Transport Department said, “I have asked for the details of the case. Investigations are on and we will take action against the constable accordingly.”
BSPCA Secretary Lt Col (Retd) Dr J C Khanna said that though the animal had sustained some serious injuries.
“It had a deep laceration on the chest. The muscles had been torn and it was bleeding profusely. We operated on it as soon as we brought it in, and it received 20 stitches,” he said, adding that it would be another month before the horse fully recuperates.
Though the horse is on the road to recovery, animal rights activists feel that stern action should be taken against Jadhav. Sunish Subramanian of the Plants and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) demanded that the driver should also be charged under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
“He should be suspended as well. First of all, as a policeman, he should not have been driving rashly, and when he saw the Victoria, he should have halted the jeep,” he said. He added that the owner – who has not yet turned up to claim the animal – should also be found and charged for negligence.
