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Shaktimaan Is Doing Fine, Won't Need An Amputation: Report

Best News Of The Day: Shaktimaan Is Fine, Won't Need Amputation
DEHRADUN, INDIA - MARCH 14: Police horse Shaktimaan got his leg fracture after allegedly beaten by BJP MLA during a BJP rally at Vidhansabha, on March 14, 2016 in Dehradun, India. (Photo by Vinay Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
DEHRADUN, INDIA - MARCH 14: Police horse Shaktimaan got his leg fracture after allegedly beaten by BJP MLA during a BJP rally at Vidhansabha, on March 14, 2016 in Dehradun, India. (Photo by Vinay Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Here's some great news for those who are losing sleep over Shaktimaan, the beautiful horse of the Uttarakhand Police force.

Shaktimaan, injured during a huge protest in Dehradun on Monday, is doing fine and won't need amputation.

The 14-year-old horse is expected to walk by April, and even run, The Economic Times reported today.

Shaktimaan, bought for Rs95,000, has served in the Uttarakhand Police force for the past ten years. The 5'8 horse enjoys pride of place on Republic Day and Independence Day parades, and is also part of the state's Kedarnath Yatra programme.

Arup Kumar, who is overseeing Shaktimaan's treatment, said that the horse had suffered an "open comminuted fracture." "We will assess after six weeks and I'm sure it will be able to walk and even run again. It all depends on the attitude and morale of the animal," he told ET.

Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Ganesh Joshi, accused of attacking Shaktimaan and breaking his leg during the protest on Monday, has been booked for cruelty.

But Joshi has said that he never touched Shaktimaan , and the BJP leader has offered to pay for the horse's treatment.

"I never touched the horse. I hit the road with a baton to push the horse back as another horse ran over our activist who is now in ICU. I am an animal lover. I have a street dog at home," he said.

Gauri Maulekhi, who works with the Uttarakhand unit of People for Animals, an animal rights organization, had a more somber assessment of the situation.

"Shaktimaan will never be the same again. The team of vets have indicated extremely poor prognosis," Maulekhi wrote in a Facebook post.

"PFA Uttarakhand runs the only equine shelter in Uttarakhand and has offered to keep Shaktimaan and care for it for the remainder of its natural life," she wrote.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.