Camel riding BSF men earn wrath of animal lovers

The beasts were allegedly transported from Jodhpur to Gurgaon under inhuman conditions

When Barack Obama and his wife Michelle reached the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi for dinner on Sunday, among the line-up present to welcome them were 30 camel-mounted Border Security Force Personnel (BSF). While the Obamas may have been taken in by the majestic rides of these security men, animal lovers are clearly not impressed.u00a0


Representative pic

In fact, several activists recently filed a complaint with Gurgaon police, claiming that 60 of these animals were transported in a truck from Jodhpur to a camp near the millennium city for the Republic Day parade, under unmerciful conditions.

"Two of these trucks (licence plate numbers RJ-19G-8544 and RJ-19G-8191) were identified at Khedkidaula police post area of Gurgaon. We called the local police demanding legal action against the offenders. Around 24 camels were brought to Chhawala camp under such cruel conditions. As a truck cannot accommodate a tall animal like a camel, so their legs are tied and they are forced to sit on the floor of the truck," said Naresh Kadyan member of International Organization for Animal Protection (OIPA).

u00a0"We received the complaint about camels being brought to Gurgaon and we inspected a vehicle. It was a BSF truck carrying camels after which we let them go. For quite long, the BSF has been transporting animals like this," said DCP south Gurgaon Pala Ram. A legal notice was sent to DIG BSF at Bikaner and DGP Haryana police.