Hyderabad racehorses missing from Jabalpur stud farm
HYDERABAD: Fifteen racehorses transported from Hyderabad to a farmhouse in Jabalpur’s Raipura area have gone missing, Madhya Pradesh veterinary officials said on Friday. The disappearance came to light during a routine health inspection on Thursday evening by a state veterinary team. “They have been shifted to some other location without informing us,” deputy director of the state veterinary department Prafulla Moon told this newspaper. Officials said the department has written to farmhouse owner Sachin Tiwari seeking an explanation. Moon said Tiwari has not responded yet.
Collector orders inquiry amid ongoing HC case
The team reported the matter to Jabalpur district collector Raghavendra Singh. “This is a serious matter. Interrogation of the farmhouse owner will be done to ascertain the missing horses. A fresh FIR will be registered if needed,” Singh said on Friday. The development has caused concern in the local administration as the case is pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
19 horse deaths reported earlier
According to Moon, 23 of the racehorses brought from Hyderabad are currently present at the Raipura facility. A total of 57 horses were shifted there in April–May this year, of which 19 have died for various reasons. The deaths triggered protests from animal-welfare groups, prompting the administration to register an FIR against Hyderabad-based Hetha Net India Pvt Ltd and stud handler Tiwari.
The FIR, filed at Panagar police station on September 2, was based on a complaint by senior veterinary officer Hemalata Jain. The complaint alleged cruelty during transportation from Hyderabad Race Club to Thakur Farm in Raipura, and said the horses were kept in a cattle shed without adequate shelter. “The farm where the horses were given shelter is a cattle shed, built for animals and buffaloes. Adequate arrangements for keeping the horses in the farm are not made, which establishes cruelty towards these animals,” the FIR noted.
