The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the state's home secretary to submit all the details related to the assault on a police horse named Shaktiman during a clash between the police and BJP protesters in 2016 that led to the animal’s death later.
Hearing a PIL challenging the acquittal of five persons in the case by a lower court including Mussoorie MLA and cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi, Justice Alok Kumar Verma of the high court sought the details from the home secretary within four weeks.
Others acquitted in the case include Pramod Bora, Jogendra Singh Pundir, Abhishek Gaur and Rahul Rawat. The lower court had acquitted them on grounds of insufficient evidence despite a video clip in public domain showing Joshi and others attacking the horse, the PIL alleged.
Shaktiman was part of the Uttarakhand Mounted Police and was allegedly attacked by some persons during their protest demonstration near the state assembly when it was in session. The horse sustained injuries in one of its legs during the clash which had to be amputated. It died of infection about a month later.
(With PTI inputs)
