The father of Zaharudeen ‘Fazil’ Rozan, 38, who died on Wednesday after being in police custody was disappointed that the officers failed in their agreement to allow him to re-examine the body yesterday.
Rozan, a father of three of Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara was arrested sometime on Tuesday evening after he allegedly damaged a neighbour’s fence.
Police claimed that the man died after banging his head against the concrete wall.
But his father, Abdul Majeed denied that was the case after noticing marks of violence about the body.
He told Stabroek News that he spoke to senior officers and they had agreed for ranks to accompany him back to the mortuary to re-examine the body.
But when he got there an officer told him he was just there to identify the body.
He became angry and said “that was not the arrangement.” He was also told that he would be able to see the body after the post-mortem is performed.
Residents told Stabroek News that the man who was under the influence of alcohol began rocking the gate where only the owner’s teenaged daughters were at home. He eventually stopped and calmly walked back to his home.
The terrified children phoned their friends from another home to inform them and they too ran indoors and hid. Residents were concerned about why he was trying to enter the yard and contacted the police.
He was first taken to the Leonora Police Station and then placed in the lock-ups at the Parika Police Station and was said to be sitting in a corner by himself.
Sources told this newspaper that he was also “saying all kinds of things” and started banging his head against the concrete wall.
According to them, the officers contacted their colleagues at the Leonora station on Wednesday morning after noticing that he was sick and they sent a patrol vehicle to transport him to the hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.
Majeed who is seeking justice, said his son served for 10 years as a rural constable while he too served voluntarily for 35 years and had always been active.
Investigations are being conducted by the Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
