Medical personnel tending to attorney-at-law Gomattie Singh, the victim of Wednesday’s acid attack, are fearful that she may lose one of her eyes, a relative said yesterday.
When Stabroek News visited the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the city hospital where the woman has been admitted, her relatives were standing outside, all with grave expressions on their faces.
Krishna, Singh’s husband, told this newspaper that his wife’s face is badly damaged and the doctor has since said that she is in danger of losing one of her eyes.
With emotion evident in his voice, he said that she is not eating but despite her injury she is conscious and communicating with persons.
Krishna stated that he could not fully remember what happened that afternoon but at the time of the incident, he, his wife and their grandson were in a Rav 4.
He said that Singh was driving and had stopped near the traffic lights close to the Guyoil gas station on Sheriff Street speaking to someone she knew.
He said that she had her window down and he recalled seeing two men prior to the acid throwing.
The couple’s daughter, Latchmin was in tears when Stabroek News spoke with her. She however managed to say that her mother was going to be alright.
Police have not arrested anyone in connection with the incident. The car has also not been found. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
An eyewitness had recounted to this newspaper that just after 4 pm a light blue car bearing an HB number plate stopped a short distance from Singh’s car.
A young man got out of the vehicle and started heading towards Singh. He had a black bag in his hand and as he neared the Rav 4 the man pulled out a bottle with an orange liquid and threw it into the woman’s face.
The eyewitness told Stabroek News that following the incident, the woman was placed in another vehicle and rushed to the hospital.
The seat that Singh was sitting in was burnt badly and her glasses were lying there too, the witness said. The information this newspaper received is that the man calmly returned to the car that he arrived in and it sped off. Krishna and the grandson were not injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, the Alliance For Change (AFC) has expressed outrage at the attack on Singh, a former member of the party, and wished her a speedy recovery.
In a press release yesterday, the AFC also called on the authorities to “spare no effort in capturing and prosecuting the villain who carried out this dastardly act.”
The party said further it had long warned that the disintegrating crime and security fabric of the nation would lead to the types of attacks that are being seen today where criminals operate with impunity as they carry out their evil agenda.
“Today police officers are being shot at, persons abducted and beheaded, and little babies and elderly women are being raped and killed!,” the AFC charged.
According to the party, the government is failing miserably to protect the people of Guyana although it has a duty to ensure that the prevailing disregard for the Rule of Law will be reversed and that the anarchy and pervasive lawlessness will be arrested.
The AFC asserted that enough is not being done despite boasts about being on top of crime, and suggested that people protest as others are doing in neighbouring countries.
“Singh’s grievous assault,” the party said, “comes at a time when we are witnessing increasing physical and verbal attacks against the judiciary and its officers, including attorneys-at-Law.”
The AFC referred to the recent attack against the Chief Magistrate (ag.) by a prisoner, and the accusation by a government minister that the Chief Justice was challenging the Executive. Meanwhile, the AFC called on the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs to enter into an “immediate dialogue with the Bar Association and the Judiciary with a view to finding workable recommendations to safeguard the security of members of the Judiciary and legal practitioners.”
The AFC also noted what it described as the “unfortunate reference” in the Kaieteur News report yesterday to the effect that Singh maintained a “court case” against the party. “This is furthest from the truth and is another glaring example of reckless and irresponsible journalism that is becoming the norm in Guyana.
We expect that an apology will be issued to both Ms. Singh and to the AFC,” the party stated.
