Assault on in-service personnel of any security force is not taken lightly. Why, then, should we play down the ruthless attack on Shaktimaan, the horse serving the Mounted Police Unit in Dehradun, Uttarakhand? On Monday, March 14, BJP party workers, allegedly led by their MLA Ganesh Joshi, demonstrated another low point in recent political memory when they gheraoed a mounted-police officer, pulled him down and then ruthlessly attacked Shaktimaan till its hind leg was mangled. Why should our anger, frustration and pain be any less just because this time, it was an animal “ and not a human “ that fell prey to senseless political violence? Do politicians distinguish between animals and the public they serve, anyway?
Even after it has been more than 10 days that the incident happened, and even though Shaktimaan was mauled hundreds of miles away, I have decided to talk on Shaktimaan’s behalf because it is exactly the forgetting of such “minor” incidents of political brazenness that empowers our voted representatives to become more and more callous, violent and unaccountable. It is not just an attack on an animal, but yet another arrogant show of total disregard for law-keeping mechanisms. Their failure to show elementary emotions of kindness and the stunted intellect with which they made a mute animal the focus of their fury only adds to our distrust of the political tribe.
If the horse could speak, Shaktimaan would probably say, “I forgive and forget.” Animals, unlike humans, have astonishing amounts of strength to forget bitter pasts without holding any grudge. This, I learnt, while volunteering at an animal shelter. There was a small white dog whose better part of the side belly had dissolved from an acid attack. All that was left was a gaping pink hollow the size of a football. And yet, every time any human walked past that dog’s cage, it wagged its tail with absolute joy and trust. I was bewildered, almost angry at the dog’s foolish persistence on keeping faith in humanity. But, that is an animal for you. Forgiving, loving.
Great leaders and their horses have been immortalized in legends. Al-Buraq took Prophet Muhhamad from Mecca to Jerusalem overnight and Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh saint, loved his horse Neela. Alexander the Great was inseparable from Bucephalus, Simon de Bolivar cherished Palomo, Napolean trusted Marengo and Maharana Pratap of Mewar was heartbroken when Chetak died in the Battle of Haldighati against the Moghuls. And look at our great leaders today. They honour Shaktimaan with an amputation.
According to reports, Shaktimaan will be able to stand on its fours in spite the amputation thanks to an expensive artificial limb donated by Jaimie Vaughan, who works for an American animal-help NGO. The Reserve Police Lines in Dehradun had sought the expertise of equine ortho surgeon Dr. Phiroze Khambatta and Dr. Vijay Nautiyal immediately after the assault. Shaktimaan is lucky to be valued and cared for in this way. Usually, most who labour in full faith seldom get their due. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Boxer the Horse keeps trusting Napolean the Pig without question till he is packed away to the butchers.
Isn’t it ironic that a political group that prides itself to be God-fearing, cultured and as Hindu as Hindu can be, has no respect for an animal that holds immense significance in the religion? Hayagriva, the horse-faced incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is worshipped as the deity of knowledge. Legend has it that Lord Rama was reunited with his twin sons Love and Kush when they captured a horse that Rama had let loose after performing the controversial Ashwamedha Yagna. Powerful kings would simply release an exquisite horse of high breed followed by an army. All the lands that the horse reached within a year would be taken over, mostly without conquest. Anyone who wished to keep the horse had to fight the king’s army first. Love and Kush, barely adolescents then, took fancy for Lord Rama’s horse. They fought the mighty Ikshvaku army successfully to save the animal they adored. And look at what self-proclaimed saviours of Ram Bhoomi have done?
The contribution of animals in upholding the security of our country is not widely discussed. The 61st Cavalry of the Indian Army is one of the world’s few remaining non-ceremonial mounted units. Google paid tribute to the Camel Regiment of the Border Security Force (BSF) this Republic Day. BSF relies on camels to patrol India’s desert borders with Pakistan. Security forces use horses to negotiate tough terrains, patrolling and mob control. Dog squads lead search, rescue and combat operations. The National Training Centre for Dogs, Gwalior, functions under the BSF and has trained 1712 dogs for detecting explosives, 1087 dogs for tracking, 342 for narcotics detection, 111 for search and rescue operations and 169 dogs for infantry patrolling. These four-legged soldiers are sent to government security agencies all over India.
Dog squads were rushing ahead resolutely with their handlers minutes after the bomb blasts in Brussels on Tuesday, March 22. Diesel, a Belgian Shepherd Dog was killed in November 2015 during an operation to capture the alleged Paris Terror Attacks mastermind. It was honoured posthumously by the French government. We couldn’t care less, though. Perhaps, the distinction between animals and humans has been eroded in our country. It could have been me or you instead of Shaktimaan that day, and there would have been the same quiet after the initial uproar.
