Cricket, poll duty force Kolkata Mounted Police out of nat’l equestrian championship

Kolkata: The death of a Kolkata Mounted Police horse and the injury to two others at the end of an India-South Africa match — during the 50-over cricket World Cup in 2023 — did not stop the 186-year-old Kolkata Mounted Police team from competing in the coveted All-India Police Equestrian Championship and Mounted Police Duty Meet a few weeks later. In fact, KP went on to win gold in a team event, repeating the feat in 2025. However, the ongoing T20 cricket World Cup has forced the KP Mounted Police team to skip participation this year.While the Bengal Police team is participating, the Kolkata Police unit is currently occupied with managing the crowds at Eden Gardens. Its biggest challenge is likely to be on March 1, when India takes on West Indies at the Super 8 stage. The city is also likely to host a semi-final.
"Although preparations for the competition began on behalf of Kolkata Police, we were ultimately forced to withdraw at the last moment, with the competition kicking off at Tekanpur in Gwalior on Feb," an officer said. The Kolkata Mounted Police Equestrian Team won the gold in the quadrille event for the second time in a row in 2025, fending off a strong challenge from the Border Security Force (BSF) and Bengal Police in Chandigarh's Panchkula.The team previously won silver and bronze medals but failed to win any gold in this event. Incidentally, among the KP horses that brought back the gold in 2025 was Historian, one of the animals injured in the Eden Gardens incident in 2023.According to sources, seven T20 World Cup matches are scheduled at Eden Gardens this year, with the possibility of a semi-final being held there as well. To ensure smooth operations, the Kolkata Police Mounted Unit is needed in the Maidan area. They are not only managing the match-day crowds but also ensuring security during ticket sales. Additionally, the recent rise in rallies and meetings in Kolkata due to the election atmosphere requires the mounted unit's presence. Amid these duties, sending these crucial members to another state's competition for nearly three weeks posed a "risk". Sources also pointed to at least 40 sowar (rider) posts being vacant, with barely 20 constables having experience of riding a horse. A total of 19 teams from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and various state police forces are participating in the event.