RIP Shaktiman: Dear politicians, stop lip service and enact Animal Welfare Bill

Dehradun: BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi pays tribute to police horse 'Shaktimaan' pic.twitter.com/GKfdTLyfrB

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 20, 2016

Uttarakhand BJP Chief Ajay Bhatt was quick to inform the media that the state government was to be blamed for the horse's death. "The medical treatment was inadequate," he said.

Former chief minister Harish Rawat, who awaits a floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly, paid his last respects to the horse. In an emotional statement he said: "I can't explain my pain in words". Congress leader Milind Deora tweeted: "Will Shaktiman's murderer be brought to justice?"

This handsome white horse became primetime news and a national sensation after being allegedly attacked by Ganesh Joshi, a BJP legislator from Uttarakhand, during a protest in March. Visuals of Joshi allegedly hitting the horse with a stick had gone viral. 

The incident unwittingly made the horse a part of a larger political upheaval playing out in the state -- that eventually led to the ouster of chief minister Harish Rawat's government and imposition of President's rule. 

Eventually, Shaktiman's injured leg had to be amputated. 

Demand for passage of Animal Welfare Bill

The assault on Shaktiman led to the demand of expediting the passing of the Animal Welfare Bill that has been pending since 2011. In the aftermath of the incident, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) wrote Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar urging the same.  

Currently, under the existing Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, offenders escape with a maximum fine of Rs 100. The maximum punishment is a prison term of three months for the crime. The pending bill would increase the penalty to Rs 10,000-25,000 or imprisonment for up to two years - or both - for a first offence. For a subsequent offence, the penalty would be between Rs 50,000-1 lakh rupees and imprisonment for one to three years. 

However, tokenism and political blame-game seem to have triumphed over a genuine willingness to secure the lives of animals vulnerable to wanton cruelty. If at all, politicians are serious about bringing the "murderers of Shaktiman" to justice, the first logical step would be to expedite the passing of the Animal Welfare Bill.