For mules, Kedarnath haul brings unfettered torture, cruelty

In early July, videos of mules being forced to smoke marijuana went viral on social media.

Gajendra Rana stifles a laugh as he looks at the video on his mobile phone. These are visuals he has seen many times before, both reel and real. From the phone emanate the sounds of raucous cackling, as a group of men surround a terrified mule, eyes bloodshot, snorting in fear. Two people hold the mule’s mouth shut even as the scared animal resists, pulling this way and that. The second of the two men then inserts a marijuana cigarette

Data for 2022 shows that of the over 1.5 million pilgrims who visited the shrine during the entirety of the yatra between April and October, 530,000 used mules to cover the trek. (Princess Ilvita)