PETA, Bollywood want BJP MLA kicked out for wounding horse

Uttarakhand BJP legislator Ganesh Joshi, who brutally thrashed and injured a police horse, is a "danger to society" and he must be sacked both from the legislature and the party, prominent global animal rights group PETA said on Tuesday.

"He must be disqualified from his post because any person who beat up a horse is not far from doing the same with people and is a danger to society. The party must not retain him," PETA chief executive Poorva Joshipura said.

In a bizarre display of cruelty, Joshi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Mussoorie, attacked and severely injured Shaktimaan, a white horse with Uttarakhand Police, during a protest against the Harish Rawat government in Dehradun on Monday.

The horse was left bleeding and the vets attending it said its leg will have to be amputated. The severe attack led to widespread public outrage.

The PETA chief urged Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal to "immediately expel Joshi from the Vidhan Sabha on the grounds of extreme and criminal misconduct".

"To ensure the maximum safety of animals, a strict action needs to be taken," Poorva said.

She also urged BJP president Amit Shah to expel Joshi from the party. "This is a party which is supposed to stand for everyone, including animals. How can it tolerate the bleeding of a horse?"

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is expected to demonstrate respect for the country's animal protection laws and basic decency of publicly condemning his party colleague," the PETA official said.

"We are calling upon police to make sure he is punished to the maximum extent of the law," Poorva said.

 

On the social media, people, including animal rights activists, Bollywood celebrities and prominent political leaders, slammed Joshi and sought his sack from the party and the legislature.

B-town's leading lady Sonam Kapoor termed Joshi's act "inhuman". "This is disgusting inhuman behaviour. (Chief Minister) Harish Rawat I hope you deal with this man!" she said.

Bollywood actress Minissha Lamba also spelt the same view and said: "What fault was it of the police horse? Yolked by man into service.. Beaten by man for his service.."

Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha slammed Joshi for his action and said: "That white horse is such a metaphor for the common man. Power rides it and anarchy incapacitates it."

Model-actor Rajneesh Duggall said: "What a shame. Ganesh Joshi deserves to be punished.. Whatever your agenda, why drag an animal into it."

The horse had been working with Uttarakhand Police for a decade but the injury may well end its career. An FIR has been lodged against Joshi, who denied the charge of attack on the horse, well captured on videos, and said that the government was trying to "shift focus from the core issues" of the state.