14 December,2016 08:01 PM IST | | Gaurav Sarkar
A horse-and-bull-race was supposed to take place at Gorai beach on December 3, but as the PETA official informed the cops on time, it did not happen
Gorai beach is a hot bed for such illegal races
Cruelty against animals has almost become a common phenomenon today. Using them for entertainment purpose is just a way of doing it.
An alert PETA official prevented one such instance after he received a tip off about it from a whistleblower. A horse-and-bull-race was supposed to take place at Gorai beach on December 3, but as the official informed the cops on time, it did not happen.
According to sources, the whistle-blower, who informed the official Meet Ashar about the race and who was also invited to witness the event, confirmed that no such race took place.
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Speaking to mid-day, Ashar, who is also an animal welfare officer with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) said, "I received a tip-off on December 2 that a horse-and-bull-race would be held at the Gorai beach the following day."
Explaining how such races are held, he said that a horse and bull are tied to the same cart and made to race with similar carts. The race, according to him, is part of a yearly tradition.
"The moment I received the information, I sent a message to Dattaray Padsalgikar, Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, requesting him to prevent the race from happening. He then asked the senior inspector of Gorai police station, S Jamdade to take action," he added.
Cops on duty at night
On receiving the instructions, Jamdade deployed police officers in the area to keep a watch and prevent any such race from happening. "Cops were on patrol duty in the area at night as well. Police officers in civil clothes were deployed on the beach," said Jamdade.
It's illegal
Explaining why the race is illegal, Ashar said, "Horse racing has been banned by the Bombay High Court. As per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960), animals of two different species cannot be tied to the same cart. Furthermore, though the Supreme Court has banned the use of bulls in such races, the organisers were still planning to conduct the event."
