Eighteen police personnel teams, comprising 615 members and 302 horses of different breeds, will fight it out for top honours in the 32nd All India Police Equestrian Meet which will begin here from January 3.
"Eighteen police personnel teams, including four teams from paramilitary forces, are participating in the 32nd All India Police Equestrian Meet, which will begin here on January 3," Karai Police Academy joint director Atul Karwal told reporters here.
"Three hundred and two horses of different breeds and 615 police personnel across various teams will take part in the meet, which will be officially inaugurated by Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal on January 3 at Police Stadium, Shahibaug here," Karwal said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the closing ceremony of the meet on January 10.
Sashastra Sena Bal (SSB), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles are the four paramilitary forces who will showcase their equestrian skills, a press statement said.
Competitions like tent-pegging, show-jumping and hacks have been organised for civilians, Karwal said, adding that close to 60-70 civilians have registered to participate in the meet.
To commemorate the contribution of late Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat, Amitabh Pathak, who passed away in Thailand in August this year, a trophy is being named after him for the event 'Dressage Novice - Team Event'.
Punjab, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chandigarh and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patle National Police Academy are the fourteen police personnel teams in the event.
Gujarat had last hosted the meet in 1997. The expenditure for the current meet is around Rs 3 to Rs 3.5 crore, Karwal said, adding that the event will showcase some of the best-trained horses in the country.
