The afternoon of 14th March 2016 was to turn into a nightmare for
Shaktimaan, a police horse, in Dehradun. Dehradun is the capital city of
the northern state of Uttarakhand and Shaktimaan was on duty there. 10
years in the police force had had taught him to never retreat when he
was on duty. He was out with his rider to control a political protest but
unexpectedly the protest turned so violent that the protestors, angry with
the police, ended up venting their ire on poor Shaktimaan. He was badly
injured in the process. His rear right leg was fractured. Experts were of
the opinion that he be euthanized to avoid suffering. Everyone was
talking about instances from the world over where injured horses were
put to sleep. Dehradun Police on the other hand was determined to save
what they considered one of their own. Thus began a mission unlike one
India had ever seen. A total of 20 officers and soldiers of the police were
in charge of round the clock care of Shaktimaan. A team of 8 veterinary
doctors was formed. The famous veterinary orthopedic surgeon Dr.
Phiroz Khambatta was flown in from Mumbai. American animal
prosthetic expert Jamie Vaughan was called in from Bhutan. There were
prayers being offered for him through the country. Offers of help were
pouring in. In Dehradun, an artificial limb manufacturer (for humans)
made a temporary limb for him. Derrik Campana of Animal Ortho Care in
Virginia made a permanent prosthetic leg for him. Tim Mahone travelled
7456 miles, from USA to India, to bring that leg to Shaktimaan. The
amazing thing was that people did this not for money but for their love of
animals. The fight went on for 36 days and the day he seemed to be on
the mend, recovering and standing on his own feet, a few hours before a
minor surgical procedure he suffered a fatal heart attack. Many cities in
India held wakes for him. Such public mourning for a horse was unheard
of. And unseen. The government of Uttarakhand is now building a
memorial for Shaktimaan. This incident has had such an impact that the
issue of cruelty to animals was even discussed in the Parliament and a
strong law to deal with it was called for. This is the story of man’s love
for one of nature’s creatures- beautiful and majestic.
