Mounted Unit remains a source of pride for Delhi Police

The stable at Old Police Lines is currently filled to capacity, with 10 horses munching on fodder and chickpeas, and generally standing tall, proudly next to their names and birth dates displayed on silver plates right outside the enclosure — a contrast to the situation in early 2022, when four tired horses waited out their service period here.

The Delhi Police has turned back the clock since February 2022, procuring 26 horses to revive the mostly ceremonial, yet largely popular, Mounted Unit. This also marks the highest strength of the unit in over a decade, as the last procurement was done in 2007-08 to bring in 35 mounts from the Indian Army’s Remount Veterinary Corps in Saharanpur and Uttarakhand.
A senior police officer said that the unit remains significant to the force. “It’s a matter of pride to have this unit,” the officer, requesting anonymity, said.
Deputy commissioner of police (provisions and logistics) Vinit Kumar, who is in charge of the Mounted Unit, concurred that mounts were essential for ceremonies and, sometimes, VIP security duties.
“In 2020, the number of mounts fell to four. After the (Covid-19) pandemic, the process to procure them began early in 2022 because they play an important role in ceremonial functions, such as Raising Day, Commemoration Day, Commissionerate Day and various graduation parades. They have historical significance. They also represent Delhi Police in the annual mounted police meet held in different parts of India. We currently have almost the necessary strength required (for the meets),” he said.
The history
The Mounted Unit was started in the 1930s, during the British era, well before Independence and much before the police force reorganised itself to come together as Delhi Police in 1948.
Fifty-nine-year-old Ram Charan, an assistant sub-inspector of police who is a rider, has been working with the unit for the past 35 years. Recalling his first posting as a guard in the south police district, he said the mounts were earlier deployed with guards in south and southwest police districts and horses were not kept in the Old Police Lines stable.
“These guards were discontinued around 2013-14, when the number of mounts decreased. They were all then sent to Old Police Lines and stayed there since,” he said.
Among Charan’s earliest daily duties, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, was patrolling the forested areas of Kalkaji. “Back then, mounts were a part of ceremonies but also patrolled areas where humans couldn’t perform combing exercises, such as forests and cramped lanes of old Delhi, northeast Delhi and parts of south Delhi,” he said.
The mounts, Charan explained, are different from other animal squads, such as the canine force that is used exclusively for crime detection. “But mounts, back then, were used by officers as a show of force. And above all, they were extremely fast while patrolling forests,” he said.
Decline in deployment
Rapid technological improvements in the 21st century for patrolling and crowd control, such as water cannons and tear gas shells, however, meant that the significance of mounts declined.
Riders recalled that around 2010, the then police commissioner, the late YS Dadwal, ordered the discontinuation of the Mounted Unit and said there was no need for further procurement of horses. “It was widely reported in the media and we were all upset about it, but what could we do? They felt that the mounts were no longer needed,” a rider, not wishing to be named, said.
Fifty-five-year-old Rakesh Kumar, another assistant sub-inspector of police, said that another key reason for discontinuing the use of horses for crowd control or patrolling areas in habitation was that people were not sensitive to mounts. Further, roads are slippery for horses to walk or run, he said.
“There is a knuckle below a horse’s hoof which slips on the road, making it difficult for them to walk or run. Either they slip or get irritated, which causes injuries to riders. Moreover, whenever mounts are seen on roads, pedestrians or those on two-wheelers tease them by slapping them or touching them. There have been instances where people have burnt mounts with cigarettes. It’s not safe for them on the roads,” he said.
However, they are still used for patrolling bushy and rough terrains, especially in case of VIP movement on such routes.
Current role
Officers associated with the unit said mounts were deployed at least nine times this September to patrol VIP routes. Besides, they were also deployed multiple times — on January 30, March 8 and 11, twice in May, once in July and August each — to patrol the jungle area near Pusa Road.
Their primary role remains to lend their presence at ceremonies or national events, such as Republic Day, Independence Day, Raising Day, and Beating Retreat, and they take part in annual police meets where mounted police of different states and Union territories compete.
Fifty-four-year-old Anil Sharma, a head constable who doubles up as a rider of the unit, said the horses need proper care. Strict routines are ensured, which entails starting their day around 7am with a diet of chickpea lentils, followed by strengthening exercises.
“The police meet happens every year and is hosted by different states. The mounts are trained here for the police meet; they participate in different activities, such as show jumping and tent-pegging where they have to show their skills,” Sharma said.
Whether for patrolling narrow lanes or forested areas where vehicles can’t reach, or being exhibited and deployed for ceremonial roles while welcoming international leaders, the Mounted Unit has aced the test of time.