A Gangster's Horse, Trapped in Legal Limbo

A horse once owned by gangster Shyam Dabhade, who was killed in a police encounter in 2016, remains in legal uncertainty nearly eight years later.

- Shrinivas Deshpande

PUNE:

While most of Dabhade's assets, including vehicles, were disposed of following police seizure, the mare, housed at a cattle shelter in Maval, has been left in bureaucratic limbo with no resolution in sight.

The Jagat Guru Sant Tukaram Maharaj Gaushala Sansthan in Dhamane has been caring for the animal since 2017, following a court order. According to Rupesh Garade, the centre's treasurer, over ₹10,000 a month is spent on the horse's feed and medical care. "I took in the horse as an act of goodwill, thinking the case would conclude soon. But after all these years, there's still no decision, and no financial support from the authorities," he said.

A gangster's legacy Dabhade, a notorious figure from Talegaon Dabhade, was involved in multiple crimes, including murder, extortion, and kidnapping. He was a prime suspect in the 2016 murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sachin Shelke and the 2010 killing of Right to Information (RTI) activist Satish Shetty. In November 2016, he and an associate were gunned down by the police in Chakan as they attempted to evade capture.