Actress-director Pooja Bhatt on Wednesday requested West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to ban animal-drawn carriages after a video of a horse being forced to pull a carriage even after collapsing to the ground went viral.

“Heartbreaking. A horse collapses on Kolkata’s streets from heat & exhaustion & is pushed to continue. Hon @MamataOfficial @KolkataPolice @SwapanDebnath98 @derekobrienmp Beseech you'll ban these cruel horse-drawn carriages & switch to humane, progressive e-carriages,” Pooja wrote alongside the video on X.

The video, originally shared by PETA on Wednesday, shows a dehydrated and malnourished horse collapsing from heatstroke on the streets of Kolkata. The horse’s owner could be seen beating and pulling the struggling animal, forcing it to pull the carriage.

The viral video has stressed upon the need to abolish practices where animals are forced to work under rigid conditions. Following the incident, animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has taken action, urging Kolkata police to file an FIR against the horse owner.

“A dehydrated and emaciated horse suffered a heatstroke and collapsed in Kolkata, as the handler slapped and yelled at the horse. We commend the  @kolpolice for registering an FIR following a PETA India complaint,” wrote PETA India on Instagram. “Nobody should have to endure such cruelty! Help us rescue this horse by sending a message to @mamataofficial, @kolpolice, and @arddwestbengal,” they added, stressing the implementation of eco-friendly electronic carriages in Kolkata as seen in Mumbai.

Actress Mimi Chakraborty expressed her concern over the matter. “Heartless @petaindia plzz let me know how can i help here,” she wrote in the comments section of PETA India’s post on Instagram.

“Why aren’t they getting punished for this abuse?,” a user commented. Another user expressed their concern over the incident. “There are so many animals/horses like this. It used to break my heart seeing them. Please save them,” they wrote. “Where’s the police? Why are people still using animals for entertainment & pleasure?” added another netizen.