Social media users have demanded strict action against mule/horse handlers
Dehradun:
A video of two men allegedly inhaling cigarette smoke from a mule stuffed with hay on its way to Kedarnath has been widely circulated, leading to the arrest of a mule owner and outrage among social media users.
The video shows one man holding the animal’s mouth and one nostril, while another is forcing it to inhale smoke through the other nostril.
Social media users have demanded strict action against the mule/horse handlers for such “inhumane treatment” to an animal used for their livelihood.
#Uttarakhand On the trek to Kedarnath temple, some people are forcing a horse to drink ganja.@UttarakhandPolice@DehradunPolice@RudraprayagPol@ashokkumar_ips
Must look into this matter and find out the culprit behind itpic.twitter.com/yyX1BNMiLk– Himanshi Mehra 🔱 (@manshi_mehra_) 23 June 2023
He speculates that this is being done to numb the animal’s senses in order to force it to work harder.
Horses and mules are used to carry pilgrims and their luggage on the trek route to the Himalayan shrine.
Police in Rudraprayag examined the video and found that the incident had happened recently at Tharu camp near Chhoti Lincholi on the 16-km trek to Kedarnath, said Inspector Suresh Chandra Baluni of Sonprayag police station.
He told that the mule owner Rakesh Singh Rawat has been arrested in this connection.
A case has been registered against him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the official said.
Baluni said that it is being investigated whether the cigarette was filled with ganja or not.
The Kedarnath Yatra began on April 25 and police have registered 14 cases of cruelty to horses in two months.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV Staff and has been auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)