Police have arrested two men and are looking for a third in connection with the attack by wedding revellers on the home of a 63-year-old Imam at La Grange, West Bank Demerara on Sunday night.
Safir Warisali, a heart patient, had spoken out against loud music that was blasting from the home of a neighbour who was hosting a wedding.
As a result, some of the guests rained beer bottles at his home like missiles, leaving severe damage to the glass door and windows to the front of his house and to the windscreens of his car and jeep.
Beer bottles were still on his roof while alcohol was also all over on the building and he questioned, “How can we pray like this…?”
Yesterday, the man, a re-migrant was still counting his losses. He was also seriously considering selling out his property and returning to Canada. Otherwise, he plans to “go to the insurance company and increase my insurance.”
He told this newspaper that he suffered losses amounting to $500,000, explaining that the two windscreens for his car cost almost $100,000 and for the jeep, $180,000. He was also having a difficult time sourcing the windscreens.
The host of the wedding, who is the headmaster of the West Demerara Secondary School, has reportedly promised to pay for the damage.
The music started playing on Thursday evening at the house where a wedding was being celebrated, but not too loud. It continued on Friday until 12:30, a bit louder but he said nothing.
On Saturday evening the music blasted to the fullest but yet, Warisali did not complain.
It was not until around 2:30 on Sunday morning when he could no longer take it that he went across and asked the host, who he said is the headmaster of West Demerara Secondary School to “turn down the base.”
The owner complied and even stopped the music but Warisali said rumours apparently got around that he had called the police.
The first attack was around 8.30 pm on Sunday when his son, Wazim, 29, a beekeeper was trying to drive out of the yard and realized that it had been blocked by a vehicle. He asked for it to be removed and an argument ensued.
Some of the guests at the wedding celebration who were drinking on the roadway then formed an angry mob and lobbed bottles at the two vehicles that were in the yard. This lasted for about half hour as Warisali, his wife and Wazim ducked for cover.
The man said he phoned the La Grange Police Station but no officer showed up. He then hired a taxi and brought the officers to the scene and they took statements.
