Kolkata: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) has sent an urgent appeal to the West Bengal chief minister, urging the govt to replace horse-drawn tourist carriages used for joyrides around Kolkata’s Maidan and Victoria Memorial with heritage-style electric carriages after three new horse-cruelty FIRs and the recent death of Indian tourist Romanch Mahajan (18) in a New York City horse-carriage incident.The group said New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is pushing for a ban on horse-drawn carriages after the fatal incident, and that Bengal can prevent further animal suffering and public danger by adopting humane, safer tourism.Its letter cited Mumbai’s shift from horse-drawn tourist carriages to mechanised alternatives that retain a heritage look while improving livelihoods and safety. Ubo Ridez, maker of Mumbai’s e-carriages, and West Bengal-based EV manufacturers have expressed willingness to supply similar carriages for Kolkata. The FIRs follow three incidents. On 10 June, a foal ran through active Hastings traffic. On 15 June, another horse was found bloodied, debilitated and suffering from a long-untreated hoof injury; PETA India rescued him and moved him to a sanctuary for veterinary care. On 21 June, a mare with a severe forelimb fracture was left bleeding at the Mayurbhanj and DH Road crossing in Ekbalpore and reportedly died in traffic without veterinary help.FIRs were registered at Hastings and Ekbalpore police stations under the BNS, 2023, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.“These FIRs establish yet again that horses are being worked until they collapse, injured animals are being abandoned, and the public is being put at risk by Kolkata’s horse-carriage trade,” said PETA India policy associate Chumki Dutta. Horses used for rides and tourist carriages in and around Victoria Memorial are routinely found anaemic, malnourished, injured, overworked or collapsed from being forced to haul heavy loads and work on hard road surfaces. Many are abandoned when they are injured, sick, or no longer profitable. Since 2024, at least sixteen horses in Kolkata have reportedly died or ultimately succumbed to road accidents and other injuries. The Calcutta High Court has directed the state to examine “dispensing with the horse-drawn carriages as done in Mumbai”. PETA seeks a time-bound ban and rehabilitation for horses.
