Four face FIRs for whipping horse to dance at procession

Indore: A day after videos showing a horse being beaten with a stick and forced to dance during a public procession near Narsingh Bazaar Square went viral, Pandarinath police have registered two separate FIRs against four men.Pandarinath police station in-charge Satish Patel said the FIRs were registered on the basis of a complaint by president of an animal welfare organisation Priyanshu Jain and viral videos.In the first case, police booked Shabbir and Shooter, residents of Iqbal Colony, for allegedly assaulting the horse with a stick. In the second case, Wasim Khan of Madina Nagar and Riyaz of Badwali Chowki were booked for allegedly forcing the animal to dance on a public road.All four have been booked under Section 11(1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which pertains to acts endangering life or personal safety through negligence.The incident is said to have occurred around 11 pm on June 25. A viral video purportedly shows the horse being repeatedly beaten with a stick, while another shows the animal being made to dance on the road. The clips triggered widespread condemnation from animal lovers and social organisations, who demanded strict action against those responsible.