Nearly a decade after the Bombay High Court banned horse-drawn Victoria carriages, Mumbai Police seized an illegally operating cart in Churchgate after an activist complaint. An FIR was registered under BNS for negligent conduct regarding animals
The horse-drawn carriage seized by the Azad Maidan police in Churchgate. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Nearly a decade after the Bombay High Court banned horse-drawn carriage joyrides — popularly known as Victorias — at least one such carriage continued to ferry tourists along Marine Drive and Churchgate. Animal rights activists had lodged complaints at the Marine Drive and Azad Maidan police stations, which have jurisdiction over the area. Police informed the activists that action could be taken only when the carriage was spotted on the road.
Caught by patrolling cop
On the day of the India-USA cricket match at Wankhede Stadium, a senior police officer on patrolling and inspection duty noticed a horse-drawn carriage ferrying tourists on Maharshi Karve Road in Churchgate. The sighting enabled the police to act on the month-old complaint. The Azad Maidan police stopped the carriage, confiscated the cart, and registered an FIR against the person operating it under Section 291 of the BNS for negligent conduct regarding animals.
A senior official from the Azad Maidan police station said, “I spotted the carriage ferrying tourists which gave us a chance to nab the owner. We stopped the carriage and interrogated him. The cart has been confiscated, while the horse was returned to its caretaker. The activists who followed up on the complaint have been informed.” The official added that further investigation would be carried out to determine whether more horse-drawn carriages are still plying Mumbai’s streets under the guise of tourist joyrides.
Horse-drawn carriages, a remnant of the British era, were once a major tourist attraction at Gateway of India, Marine Drive, and Kala Ghoda. In 2012, PETA approached the Bombay High Court seeking a ban on the carriages, citing animal cruelty. The court banned these carriages in 2015. In 2021, the state government’s transport department granted in-principle approval for e-carriages to revive the Victoria tradition — this time without horses.
Mumbai-based animal rights activist Sneha Visaria, who is associated with PETA, said, “I first noticed the horse-pulled carriage about a month ago, around 9.30 pm, ferrying tourists near Crawford Market. I spotted it several times over the next few weeks. I complained to the police, but was told the owner could be nabbed only when the carriage was spotted and caught red-handed.”
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