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DEHRADUN, INDIA - MARCH 14: MLA Ganesh Joshi beating a horse during a BJP rally at Vidhansabha, on March 14, 2016 in Dehradun, India. (Photo by Vinay Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi, accused of instigating the brutal attack on police horse Shaktiman during a BJP protest in Dehradun said that his leg may be cut if he was found guilty.
Shaktiman, which had suffered multiple fractures on its hind leg during the protest, died on Wednesday after battling infection and other complications for over a month. The horse had lost its leg after it was brutally beaten during clashes between BJP protesters and the police on March 14.
"I am very sad. I was not at fault, not even 0.1 per cent. If I am found guilty, then cut my leg," Joshi said.
In a sharp reaction, Union minister Maneka Gandhi said, "Shaktiman was a police officer on duty and the person who put him through so much pain and ultimately killed him should be arrested for killing a police officer."
Joshi was arrested after the incident and later let off on bail last month.
"Horses should no longer be part of our police system," Gandhi said, adding,"They serve no purpose and in every crowd engagement they are at the mercy of any vicious person who is too cowardly to do anything but injure the defenceless animal".
"The horse passed away at 5.30 PM. He was suffering from medical-related complications. The exact cause will be known only after post-mortem," IG Garhwal Sanjay Gunjyal said.
Shaktiman's story stirred many across the country after it was seen in television visuals taking multiple blows and dragging its broken, mangled limb in excruciating pain during the protest on March 14.
The 13-year-old didn't respond well to a prosthetic leg brought from the US, doctors said. It spent the past few weeks at the police lines in Dehradun. It was a well trained horse and part of Uttarakhand Mounted Police for years. It had participated in several parades.
"Shaktiman was injured on March 14 after which we had to operate on him. He was later fitted with an artificial leg.
But he was unable to fully recover from an infection," SSP Dehradun Sadanand Date said.
Expressing shock over the demise of the horse, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said,"It was a brave soldier of Uttarakhand and died while performing its duty."
Indian students travel on a horse cart surrounded by fog in Jammu, India, Thursday, Dec.18, 2014. As winter sets in, thick fog engulfs most of north India early mornings. (credit:AP Photo/Channi Anand)
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An Indian man rides a bicycle through fog in Jammu, India, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. As winter sets in, thick fog engulfs most of north India disrupting normal life. (credit:AP Photo/Channi Anand)
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Indians, wrapped in warm clothes, walk through a fog covered road in Jammu, India, Thursday, Dec.18, 2014. As winter sets in, thick fog engulfs most of north India disrupting normal life. (credit:AP Photo/Channi Anand)
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A man rows his boat on the River Ganges in the early morning fog on the outskirts of Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. Several parts of north India continue to experience cold weather conditions, according to local news reports. (credit:AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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Indian street vendors keep warm around a bonfire on a cold evening on the banks of the River Ganges in Allahabad, India, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014. Temperatures dipped in north India and several mountain areas have received snowfall, according to news reports. (credit:AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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A Sadhu, or Hindu holy man, smokes marijuana to stay warm at Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati in Allahabad, India, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014. Intense cold wave continues unabated in north India with fog disrupting traffic movements at several places. (credit:AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, sit around a bonfire to keep themselves warm at "Sangam", the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati river in Allahabad, India, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014. Intense cold wave continues unabated in north India with fog disrupting traffic movements at several places. (credit:AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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Indian villagers cycle amidst fog early morning in Allahabad, India, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. Several parts of north India are experiencing cold weather conditions. (credit:AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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Indians, wrapped in warm clothes, travel on a fog covered road in Jammu, India, Thursday, Dec.18, 2014. As winter sets in, thick fog engulfs most of north India disrupting normal life. (credit:AP Photo/Channi Anand)
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Indian men warm their hands near a bonfire on a cold and foggy morning in Allahabad, India, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014. Intense cold wave continues unabated in north India with fog disrupting traffic movements at several places. (credit:AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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