The various departments of Kolkata Police bring pride to the city with its many feats. The latest feather on its cap has been added by the Kolkata Police Equestrian Team, which clinched gold at the 43rd All India Equestrian Championship and Mounted Police Duty Meet in Chandigarh’s Panchkula.
With this year’s win, the team of four riders and horses — part of Kolkata Mounted Police — have now bagged the gold at the championship two years in a row, and aim to get their hattrick win next year. The championship that started on March 13 will come to an end on March 23.
The team of inspector A.K. Chatterjee (captain), sergeant D. Dhara, constable S. Mahapatra, and sepoy A. Chakraborty, along with horses Imprimatur, Rukmini, Bahulian, and Historian have a proud department waiting back in Kolkata to welcome the winners home.
A legacy still going strong
The Kolkata Mounted Police has a history of 185 years as the oldest such department in the country, and has had a glorious journey since its inception in 1840. It was established in colonial times to inform the harbour master about ships in the vicinity and to carry messages. In 1842, the mounted police was also tasked with patrolling the Maidan area. Today, it is an integral part of Kolkata’s police department and often deployed at big events like football games to control crowds and maintain law and order.
Highlights from the championship
The Kolkata Police Equestrian team at the championship in Chandigarh
The equestrian team bagged the gold in the quadrille event at the championship. In this competition of quadrille dressage, four horses perform various choreographed movements to music, for a 10-minute display with the arena.
Both police and paramilitary participated in the event, and 19 teams took part in the national equestrian tournament. The Kolkata team previously won silver for quadrille dressage in 2004 and 2008, and the first gold in 2024. This year, the Border Security Force team bagged second place, while West Bengal Police ranked third. The annual championship is judged by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), and the quadrille event is scored out of 180 marks, focusing on various parameters like the gap between two riders, curvature of the geometric patterns, and more.
The Kolkata Police Equestrian Team also ranked sixth in the dressage event this year, and one of the participants has ranked sixth in a jumping event as well. The team will participate in the championship’s cross-country event.
Man-on-duty with a vision
Speaking to My Kolkata about the training and preparation for the championship, the captain inspector A. K Chatterjee (OC, Kolkata Mounted Police) said, “The event depends on the adjustment between the horses and the riders, as well as the synchronised movement of the horses. Given the humidity in Kolkata, practicing throughout the year is barely possible, so we stick to a regime between November to February.”
Chatterjee is a man on a mission. Under his able leadership, the Kolkata Police Equestrian Team has been able to bag two gold medals, and the veteran officer aims to attain newer heights with the team.
“The four-person team practices in between duties, and we keep two to three hours, six days a week, for training,” he further shared, adding that basic fitness and proper eating habits are also part of the training process for all members of the team.
The gold-winning team of A.K. Chatterjee (captain), sergeant D. Dhara, constable S. Mahapatra, and sepoy A. Chakraborty, along with horses Imprimatur, Rukmini, Bahulian, and Historian
Chatterjee joined the police force in 1996 and horse riding was part of his curriculum. In 1999, he joined the Kolkata Mounted Police, and eventually became the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the department in 2015. He has been training the team for the last 10 years for various local and national level competitions.
“My first experience in an equestrian competition was in 2014 at the Tollygunge Club, after becoming the Additional OC. RCGC, the Tollygunge team, among others also participated and I got a gold in tent pegging, and gradually got involved into equestrian sports,” shared the officer.
Originally a cricket player, the sports lover is a relentless go-getter who is already planning for the next event for his team. Chatterjee represented the Kolkata Police’s cricket team for 17 years, and was ‘captain of the year’ for eight of those years. The cricket team elevated from second division to first in 2010, and Chatterjee moved on to equestrian sports for the department in 2013.
The champions lift the trophy
Winning moment
“When we bagged a gold last year, we were elated because this was the first time in the history of Mounted Police. Our seniors encouraged us a lot too. Our aim then became to keep up the good work, and to not return empty handed this year. We put our best foot forward,” said the proud captain, reminiscing the thundering applause his team got at the end of the act.
