Jharkhand agriculture and animal husbandry minister Badal Patralekh fondness for riding on horse proved a painful affair on Wednesday evening when the minister’s left hand was bitten by a horse at Koderma, around 165km from state capital Ranchi.

The 44-year-old Congress MLA from Jarmundi had gone to Koderma to attend a function organised by the district animal husbandry department at Balitand and after the function while on way back the minister saw a horse on the bypass road and expressed desire to ride it.

Taking permission from the horse owner, the minister took a ride on the horse for nearly five minutes and after alighting from the horse tried to feed it with a few pieces of gur (jaggery).

“The horse in a haste to munch on the gur had a portion of teeth cutting into the left hand of the minister. Immediately the health department team led by Koderma civil surgeon Dr Abhay Bhusan arranged for tetanus and anti-rabies injection for the minister,” said Vikram Patralekh, the brother of the minister. The minister was stable.

“I am perfectly stable and I came for participating in the filing of nomination of our UPA alliance candidate on JMM ticket and cabinet minister Hafijul Hassan (son of the deceased sitting MLA Haji Hussain Ansari) for the Madhupur bypoll at Madhupur on Thursday,” said Badal Patralekh.

However, the district health department is not taking any chances.

“The minister will have to take anti-rabies vaccine shots after three, seven, 14 and 28 days. Our medical team will also be keeping a watch on the health of the horse for the next 10 days. The minister’s condition was stable,” said civil surgeon Dr Abhay Bhusan.

Significantly, earlier this month, another Jharkhand MLA from Barkagaon Amba Prasad had come to state Assembly on a horse gifted by legendary polo player Colonel Ravi Rathore.