Explained: What is the Mounted Unit and why it made its comeback in Mumbai

Mumbai, Jan 23: Earlier this week, the Mumbai Police announced the return of the force's Mounted Unit.

The Mounted Unit makes its return after a gap of 88 years. In 1932, the Bombay Police Commissioner, Sir Patrick Kelly decided to replace the horses with patrol cars.

The revival:

It was decided to revive the Mounted Unit as the police personnel astride a horse will command respect and fear, while in the midst of an unruly crowd. The police say that the idea is an old one, but not obsolete. It also helps in crowd control.

The size of the Unit:

In 2018, the government cleared a proposal to acquire 30 horses at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. Further, a 2.5-acre plot at Andheri East was identified to build stables, a sand bath and a swimming pool for the horses.

The uniform of the raider:

The rider would sport a blue sherwani with silver trimming. Further, the rider would sport white breaches and a pagdi.

States that have the Mounted Unit:

The states that have the Mounted Units are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, UP and West Bengal.