Photos of a horse travelling in a train go viral, owner arrested in Bengal

An official said on Saturday that a viral photo on social media of a horse riding in a crowded train led to the owner of the horse being arrested for offences under the Railway Act.

After a tiring race that his horse had participated in, Gafoor Ali Mollah, a 40-year-old man, decided to give his horse a train ride from Dakshin Durgapur to Netra, a distance of 23 km, rather than walk back home.

With the help of the local police, RPF authorities located the owner of the horse at his Netra home on Friday after the pictures of the horse in the vendor compartment of an EMU local train went viral on Thursday.

East Coast Railway spokeswoman Ekalabya Chakraborty explained that animals must travel in separate wagons and cannot be transported in passenger compartments. "He has been booked under various sections of the Railway Act for creating nuisance in railway property and unauthorised occupation in a train," he added.

In addition, Mr Chakraborty said the 40-year-old man and his horse boarded the train in the evening, when more attention is paid to women safety in the compartments.