Kolkata, Jan 25 : The Kolkata Police's Mounted Police will not participate in the Republic Day parade on the Red Road on Sunday. Sources in Kolkata Police said on Sunday that the Mounted Police have been kept out of the parade for the fourth consecutive year since a 2022 incident where a horse turned its back on the then-Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar during the salute.

However, spectators can find some consolation in seeing the Indian Army's mechanical 'robotic mules' instead of the real horses.

Although the horses will not be participating in the parade, the mounted police unit will be on duty in the Maidan area from morning on Republic Day. The police cavalry will be keeping a watchful eye to ensure that spectators attending the parade do not face any problems and that law and order are maintained.

It may be recalled that on January 26, 2022, the Republic Day parade began with a contingent of the Army's Eastern Command marching down the Red Road. The Kolkata Police's mounted unit paraded with their horses, and 20 of them moved forward in perfect formation, step by step. An officer of the Kolkata Mounted Police saluted while seated on his horse. However, one of the horses suddenly broke away from the group and caused a disturbance. At that time, it was 11 years old.

Before this, it had participated in the Republic Day and Independence Day parades about four times. But on that day, it broke away from the group and turned its back towards the then-Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Officials at Lalbazar investigated and found that the parade on Red Road was being shown on a giant screen located beside the road. When the horse moved away, at that moment, the images of the mounted police were being shown on the screen. The authorities attributed the incident to the horse being distracted by its own image on the screen.

Although the horse was brought into line within seconds and the mounted police's parade carried on, this unit of the Kolkata Police has not participated in Republic Day and Independence Day parades since then. According to sources at Lalbazar (Kolkata Police headquarters), the mounted police will not participate in this year's parade either.

/IANS