Mumbai: Gorai cops bring illegal horse-cart racing to halt

A grab from the video shows bikers very close to a racing horse-cart

The Gorai police arrested four people on Saturday (February 20) for organising an illegal horse-cart race at Gorai beach on February 14. Locals had complained about it to the People for the Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA). The animal rights organisation also learnt about the incident from a viral video on social media, which showed some men mercilessly whipping and beating the horses continuously, forcing them to run amidst noisy motorcycles and their riders who were shouting.

Winners of the illegal race held at Gorai on February 14 are seen in this picture procured by PETA

Police custody for accused
The accused were identified as Sebastian Muhim, 50, Nitin Kadam, 33, Bilson D'Souza, 27, and Aldrauy Royard Patel, 21, all residents of Gorai Uttan. The police recovered the horse-carts from the accused but not the horses. The accused were produced in court on Saturday and remanded in police custody. The police estimate the involvement of 20 other people. They said the participants in the race own the horses and used them to give rides on the beach. At least 10 carts with at least 20 horses are seen in the video. The police are looking for the horses.

The video, captured by a woman, went viral after it was put on Facebook. The PETA team then informed the Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh and complained to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone XI, Mumbai, Vishal Thakur.

'Races often held'
Speaking to mid-day, Meet Ashar, the Emergency Response Team Associate of PETA India said, "We verified the video and registered the complaint. It includes the provisions of Section 11(1) which makes whipping and beating an animal and causing it unnecessary pain and suffering a punishable office. Cruelty to animals will not be tolerated and to ensure that, the 2015 direction of the Bombay High Court banned keeping and using horses for joy rides, ceremonies, processions and other purposes in the city. The mental trauma and the physical torture these malnourished and weak horses must have endured is hard to imagine". He said horse-cart races are organised every year at Gorai beach.

In a letter to the Commissioner of Police, PETA has referred to a 2016 Rajasthan High Court order which banned tonga races in Rajasthan, following a study submitted by the Animal Welfare Board of India. It pointed out that cruelty to horses was inherent when they were forced to run amidst the chaos of vehicles and with spectators shouting - all of which the horses would find frightening and distressing - as it happened during the illegal race at Gorai," Ashar said.

DCP Thakur said, "With the help of the video we found that the incident took place on February 14 at 7 am. On the basis of the technical help and CCTVs at the beach we arrested all the accused.