#HorsingAround: Kurnool Police’s ‘corona horse’ goes viral

On Tuesday, this picture of a policeman in uniform, riding a white

horse

with what seemed like pink polka dots, went viral. The pink dots were — wait for it — corona virus! “I painted it on the horse; it’s eye-catching and it’s doing a great job of spreading

awareness

about this novel virus here in Kurnool,” says

Maruti Sankar

, sub inspector,

Peapally

Police Station.

Not everyone shares Maruti’s enthusiasm for this novel initiative though. The picture sparked a huge debate among

netizens

, many of whom are up in arms against

Kurnool Police

for painting a horse and using it as a prop. Maruti, however, begs to differ. “See, in smaller towns and villages people are not as exposed to the media and awareness campaigns as they are in cities. Our SP said we should come up with news ideas to create awareness about the deadly disease among the masses here. So I painted the horse with the images of coronavirus using water colours. Horses represent speed. I wanted to convey to people that the virus is spreading faster than the speed of the horse. I haven’t caused any harm to the horse since the paints I have used are washable,” he says, adding, “Some cops around here have also dressed up as Yamaraj, the god of death, to create awareness. The elderly people especially, who do not follow news on TV or phone, could benefit from such
initiatives. The public here received the roadshow well and I think it was a success.”