Bhopal/Jabalpur: Police in Jabalpur district have registered an FIR after 19 of 57 race horses transported from Hyderabad to Madhya Pradesh died within weeks, with the complaint blaming “cruel transport and inadequate shelter” for the fatalities.The FIR, lodged on the complaint of senior veterinary officer Dr Hemlata Jain, names Hyderabad-based Hetha Net India Pvt Ltd and handler Sachin Tiwari (42) of Jabalpur.It alleges the horses were trucked from Hyderabad Race Club to Thakur Farm in Raipura between Apr 29 and May 3, 2025, without informing Jabalpur district administration or securing gram panchayat permission. “A total of 57 horses were transported by road… No information of this transportation was given to the district administration and animal husbandry department… nor was permission taken from Raipura gram panchayat to keep the horses,” the FIR states.Veterinary teams were called after the animals began falling ill, but deaths continued despite treatment. The FIR details how a Kathiawadi mare showed fever, lethargy, wounds and nasal bleeding before dying on May 9; a Sindhi mare developed high fever and a puss-filled neck wound, was unable to walk or even move her neck, and died on May 14; a nine-year-old thoroughbred stallion with high temperature, anorexia, nodules, skin erosion and nasal bleeding succumbed on May 15; and a Marwari mare that had been treated for lameness and laminitis for weeks finally died on June 11 after developing bed sores from prolonged recumbency.”Till date, 19 out of 57 horses have died, the reason for which is cruel transportation of animals (and) inadequate shelter,” the FIR notes.Spot inspections confirmed that the animals were housed in Thakur Farm, cattle shed meant for cows and buffaloes. “This farm is cattle shed, built for animals like cows and buffaloes, in which horses are kept. The necessary arrangements for the horses are not adequate… This proves cruelty towards horses,” the FIR observes.On May 23, additional deputy director (animal husbandry) Jayant Tapase and his team recommended building proper sheds, maintaining hygiene, administering booster doses for equine influenza, tetanus and rabies, and appointing a full-time equine veterinarian. The FIR notes that these directions were ignored.When questioned on May 28, Sachin Tiwari admitted he had no documents permitting interstate transport of the animals. According to the FIR, he said: “The possible cause of death was transport stress, heat stress and climate change from Hyderabad to Jabalpur.”TI Panagar police station Vipin Tamrakar told TOI that an FIR has been registered and the matter is under investigation. “Since 19 horses have died, we can’t say that others are well. We will try to do our best in this case” he said. Police have booked Hetha Net India Pvt Ltd and Sachin Tiwari under Sections 11(1)(g) and 11(1)(h) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, along with relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The investigation is ongoing.
