Mounted police at an event in Patna

The Mounted Military Police (MMP) is all set to buy 15 horses. It floated a tender last week for procuring them following the nod from the state police headquarters to the purchase proposal.

The MMP, with its headquarters at Ara in Bhojpur district, about 60km west of Patna, has only 64 horses against the sanctioned strength of 202. It last bought horses in 2008. The tender for them was floated in 2006.

Admitting that there was a shortfall of 138 horses in the battalion, MMP commandant Rajesh Tripathy said the MMP troops were at present stationed at four places — Patna, Bhagalpur, Sonepur (Saran district) and Rajgir (Nalanda district). “If the strength of the force is increased, we can depute a troop in Kosi region for effective policing,” he told The Telegraph.

A troop of MMP stationed at Sonepur in Saran district has been deployed in Gaya for the ongoing Pitripaksh Mela. Earlier, MMP troops were sent to Nalanda and Bhagalpur for Malmas Mela and Shravani Mela, respectively.

The procurement of horses by MMP last time had triggered a controversy. It had struck a deal with Jai Govind Stud and Agriculture Farm, Jaipur, for supplying 50 horses. But one among the 19 supplied in the first lot was found to be visually impaired.