Residents are planning to stage protest action today for the removal of the acting chairman of the Crabwood Creek (CWC) Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) after he allegedly beat up the captain of the CWC Sport Complex, 23-year-old Clovis Hunte on Mash day.
Vasco Jardim called ‘Martain’ allegedly dealt Hunte several blows causing him to suffer injuries to his face, shoulder and abdomen. Hunte’s gold chain was also lost in the process. This newspaper was told on Saturday when it tried to contact Hunte that he could not speak because of the injuries.
Contacted by Stabroek News, Jardim said he had given some younger boys permission to use the sports complex ground for the entire day. He said that Hunte and his team were bullies and they started to play with a “hard ball” while the other game was still in progress and the ball hit one of the younger boys.
He said the boys went to him to complain and when he went over to investigate an argument erupted. They started to “wrestle”, he said, and a bat hit his shoulder. When asked if the claim by Hunte that he hit him was true, Jardim responded that this reporter was “trying to put words in my mouth.”
Secretary of the sports complex, Ramchandar Motiram told Stabroek News that the complex had sponsored a cricket competition on Mash day and was waiting for a group of players on the field to complete their game.
He said the game ended at 1 pm and Hunte asked the players to leave so his group could have access to the field, but they refused, saying that Jardim had given them permission to use it for the entire day.
Motiram said Hunte insisted on having the field and the other group ran to get Jardim. “He did not find out anything; he just come in the middle of the pitch and started to beat up Hunte in front of about 400 spectators.
The secretary alleged that Jardim removed Hunte’s “helmet and cuffed him in his mouth and burst it. He told Hunte that he is talking too much, but Hunte said he is the captain and he has to represent the team.”
According to the secretary, after the incident Jardim “jumped on his motorcycle and reported at the station that the captain had attacked him.” He said the captain then went to the police station along with his team to make a report and the police sent him to the doctor to get a medical.
Regional Chairman Zulfikar Mustapha was not aware of the incident when contacted by this newspaper on Saturday. But he made some inquiries and later told Stabroek News that he had heard something different from Jardim but promised to investigate.
Mustapha said during a meeting last week he was told by Jardim that there was a problem over the use of the ground. He said he promised to look into that matter and was surprised to hear that Jardim hit the captain. He said if it were true that the captain had attacked Jardim first, he should have reported the matter to the police.
Motiram said they had made arrangements to have the match on Mash day and denied interrupting the other game. “If we wanted to interrupt the game we would have done so at 9 am. But we waited until 1 pm when that game was finished to ask the other group of boys to allow us to play,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile members of the sport complex are calling for the reappointment of the former chairman of the NDC Veko Makarchan who resigned recently.
