Animal Welfare Board Seeks Action Taken Report From Municipal Corporation of Delhi Following PETA India Appeal to Repeal Policy Allowing Horse Buggies for Ceremonial Purposes

Following an appeal from PETA India regarding cruelty to horses and the traffic hazards they pose, the Animal Welfare Board of India has issued an advisory asking the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to revisit the existing policy that grants licences for horse buggies and horses used for ceremonial purposes in Delhi and submit an action taken report in response to PETA India’s appeal. The policy in question stands in conflict with the 2010 MCD resolution banning horse tongas in Delhi and contradicts the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Horses used for ceremonial purposes in Delhi are kept in premises unfit for them that are devoid of adequate food, water, and shelter. The animals are not provided with suitable veterinary care and are often kept tied in the open in all weather extremes on Delhi’s crowded and congested roads. In wedding ceremonies, the horses are typically controlled through pain using cruel and illegal spiked bits that lacerate their mouths so that they do not buck and flee from the fireworks, drums, and crowd, which they would find frightening.