The absence of Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Persid Edmond forced the adjournment of the matter involving missing mother of one, Babita Sarjou and her former husband, Anand Narine last week. While the clerk for the magistrate indicated that she was on her way to the court at around 9am; almost two hours later she had not arrived. This situation saw the police orderly suggesting to the two lawyers representing the interests of the two parties, Raphael Trotman and Max McKay, to decide on another date convenient to them for the case. The lawyers decided on February 9.
Narine is accused of plastering copies of a nude picture of Sarjou, who has been missing since the night before Diwali, in public including on the fence of her then place of employment, BK International. A calm looking Narine attended court but spent most of the time outside the court room and after a brief word with his lawyer, McKay, he quickly exited the court compound.
Trotman, who is representing the interest of Sarjou’s family, said that he would be pushing for the matter to continue even though the woman cannot be found and has failed to show up at court. The lawyer said that as the woman’s family continues to look for her, witnesses in the matter should be heard.
Sarjou’s disappointed mother, Champa Seenarine, said that she is convinced that her daughter is still alive but is being held against her will. The mother expressed the hope that her daughter would return home early in the New Year. She pointed out that if her daughter was not being held against her will or worse yet, some ill has befallen her, she would not allow her relatives to experience the agony of not knowing her whereabouts.“She wouldn’t have we hurting so, we miss she and just want she come home,” the woman said.
In August last year, months after Sarjou was hired at BK International, employees arrived at work to find printouts of a nude photograph of the young woman pasted on the fence and on trucks belonging to the company. Some workers tore down the photographs in an effort to shield the young woman from embarrassment.
The couple was not together at the time and according to her mother, it was the fourth time Sarjou had left her husband and she had vowed not to return even though he was keeping her son away from her. The couple was being counseled at the Ministry of Human Services and Sarjou was told if she wanted to file for custody of her son, she had to empower herself by being gainfully employed. It was this that drove her into finding a job and for the months she worked at the company she was described as a hard worker.
Instead of being embarrassed and cowed into silence, Babita reported the matter to the police, leading to them instituting the charge against Narine.
The day Babita disappeared would have been three months since the nude print outs were plastered outside her work place. Seonarine said her daughter never missed a day of work. “She get up every day and went to work.
She didn’t feel no embarrassed. She didn’t do nothing wrong. “
