Dehradun: Following the furore over police horse, Shaktiman, being allegedly assaulted by the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ganesh Joshi from Mussoorie, the latter was arrested on Friday morning. Joshi has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
Sanjay Gunjyal, Inspector General of Garhwal range, said that the MLA from Mussoorie was picked up from outside a hotel in Patel Nagar area on the basis of an FIR lodged against him and his associates at Nehru Colony police station here in connection with the assault on the police horse on March 14.
The official said Joshi was being interrogated. He, however, refused to disclose where the MLA has been taken.
The Dehradun Police on Sunday had registered a case against Ganesh Joshi for beating a police horse, reportedly breaking one of its legs, during a protest against Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Monday for "misuse" of funds.
The Mussoorie MLA was later produced in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vikasnagar Laxman Singh who sent him to 14 days' judicial remand, SSP Sadanad Date said, adding that Joshi has been taken to Suddhowala prison.
The action against Joshi comes a day after the arrest of another party worker Pramod Bora from Haldwani in Nainital district.
Date said Bora along with Joshi was responsible for precipitating the fall of the police horse during the protest march which caused multiple fractures in its left hind leg.
Reacting sharply to the development, BJP lodged a protest with Governor K K Paul and alleged it was "abduction" of its MLA.
"The manner in which Joshi was picked up from outside a hotel suggests he was abducted. Those who picked him up were in plain clothes and it is not clear whether they were police personnel or goondas," Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Ajay Bhatt said.
Read: BJP MLA may face disciplinary action for horse assault
Bhatt said he had called on Governor K K Paul to register his protest against the manner in which the party legislator was picked up.
Meanwhile, it took two hours on Thursday night for doctors to get Shaktiman's injured leg amputated, which according to them was successful.
Read: After brutal attack during BJP protest, Shaktiman’s fractured leg amputated
The horse's amputation surgery took place two days after his fractures were fixed by a group of 10 doctors.
Shaktiman's injured leg had to be amputated by a team of doctors yesterday to save him from infection. He can now stand with the help of a prosthetic leg, the SSP said.
However, doctors attending on Shaktiman said it will have to be seen whether the prop is strong enough to support the horse which weighs around 400 kgs.
Expert veterinary doctor from Mumbai Feroze Khambatta, who led a team of doctors to amputate Shaktiman's leg, said he had performed eight similar operations in Nepal and Bhutan but those horses weighed around 200 kgs.
Shaktiman stood for the first time in three days last night after amputation. (Photo: Facebook)
Stating that Shaktiman will take a month to recover from the surgery, Uttarakhand DGP BS Sidhu said that in the meantime he will be given temporary prosthetic aid in the form of artificial legs which will be tailor made to his specifications.
Read: Shaktimaan battles it out, will stand again soon, say doctors
As Shaktiman weighs 400 kgs it is not clear for how long he can stand and move with an artificial leg, he said, adding the horse is under constant watch of doctors and over two dozen police personnel at the police lines.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and state BJP president Ajay Bhatt condemned the way Joshi had been arrested.
Read: Shaktimaan the horse to get a 'leg' to stand on from USA
The BJP has been demanding withdrawal of cases lodged against its workers including Joshi, asserting that they were being framed at the behest of the state government to cow down the opposition.
Read: Shaktiman’s condition worsens, man arrested for precipitating his fall
