Hyderabad horses gallop to tragedy: 6 more dead in Jabalpur, toll up at 19

Bhopal: The death toll of race horses brought from Hyderabad to Jabalpur continues to rise, with 19 horses confirmed dead so far. In the past two weeks, six horses have died, adding to the 13 that had already passed away. These horses had been under 24-hour surveillance by doctors and officials from the MP animal husbandry department. The horses are reportedly owned by Suresh Paladugu, head of the Horse Power Super League (HPSL), a Hyderabad-based company involved in horse racing.According to officers overseeing treatment of the horses, of the six horses that died in the recent past, two succumbed to septicemia, two to paralysis, one to colic (stomach ache), and one to respiratory failure.The 57 horses — of the Thoroughbred, Kathiawadi, and Marwari breeds —arrived in Jabalpur by road on May 5 and were initially kept in a stud farm in Raipura village in Jabalpur district. Stud farm owner Sachin Tiwari, who is an associate of Paladugu, arranged for a team of doctors and caretakers to oversee the horses' well-being.However, between May 7 and May 13, eight horses died. Since then, five more have died, bringing the toll to 13. Despite ongoing care, the death toll continued to rise, with six more horses passing away in the past two weeks. The earlier 13 deaths were caused by heat. Currently, only 38 horses remain.On May 23, a PIL was filed in the Madhya Pradesh high court regarding the deaths of the horses. The case is still awaiting a hearing.The controversy surrounding these horses was initially brought to light by animal rights activist Lavanya Shekhawat, a Rajasthan-based polo player and horse lover. Shekhawat had written to PETA India in early May, drawing attention to the poor condition of the horses at the Hyderabad Race Course. She alleged that many horses were malnourished, injured, and suffering from neglect. In response to Shekhawat's intervention, the horses were moved to Jabalpur.Following Shekhawat's appeal, PETA India alerted authorities in Hyderabad, which led to an investigation by the local administration. Blood samples from the horses, as well as from individuals who had come into contact with them, were sent to the National Research Centre on Equines in Hisar, Haryana. The test results for 44 horses have come back negative for glanders, though results for the remaining horses are still pending.Sources suggest that after the collapse of Paladugu's horse racing operation in Feb 2025, many horses were abandoned and left without food or proper care, resulting in the death of several animals. Some horses were moved to Jabalpur under the care of Paladugu's associate Sachin Tiwari.