Dara, Raka, Shaheen, Jackie, Gauri, Ahilya and Rana, who will be on security duty at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, are already patrolling the mela grounds twice a day so that they are well acquainted with the geography of the land.
All of these are horses—130 of which will be on duty with their 166 human police personnel.
Under the banner of ‘Safe Mahakumbh’, horses of Indian, American and European breeds have been pressed into service for a mounted police force that will be able to reach places on land and water which cannot be accessed by foot or vehicles.
Uttar Pradesh’s Director General of Police, Prashant Kumar, said that the horses had been trained at centres in Moradabad and Sitapur. This special training includes ensuring that they will not hurt devotees in any way while controlling crowds and smoothening the paths for pilgrims.
Some of the horses that will be pressed into service have been bought from the Army. Their ages are upwards of four years.
To keep these horses in prime shape, three veterinarians are in full time service. They are given three massages a day and get haircuts once a month. Their horse shoes are changed monthly, too.
A special diet chart has been prepared for the horses. It includes one kilogram each of gram and bran; two kilos of barley and hundred grams each of jaggery and linseed oil with a 30 gram dash of salt.
This is in addition to the main component of the diet—25 kilograms of green grass.
