One of the policemen who tortured a 15-year-old boy at the Leonora police station in 2009 has been fired on the instructions of Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan who says that he will write to the Police Service Commission (PSC) requesting the sacking of the other officer involved.
“I gave the instructions to the Commissioner to fire in the public interest the two cops involved in the Leonora incident,” Ramjattan told Stabroek News this evening. He said that he gave the instructions last week and received a report from Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud yesterday that Corporal Mohanram Dolai was dismissed from the force. Dolai and Narine Lall, the other cop involved in the torture, were controversially promoted earlier this year.
Ramjattan said that he was advised that since Lall is now an inspector, the Commissioner cannot fire him as, from that rank up to the rank of Deputy Commissioner, dismissal falls under the authority of the PSC. The minister said that he will write to the PSC requesting the dismissal of Lall.
The minister told Stabroek News that he does not want anyone in the police force who has been found culpable, even civilly, for violations like burning the private parts of a person as Lall and Dolai were. He said that they are not fit persons for the administration to preside over and declared that it was a breach of policy to retain and promote the men in the police force.
Lall and Dolai were found liable of torturing a 15-year-old boy in 2009, when they poured methylated spirits on his genitals and set him alight while he was in custody at the Leonora Police Station as part of a murder investigation. After the collapse of the criminal case against them– owing to the failure of the teen and other witnesses to appear to testify–the duo was reinstated in the force. In January, Stabroek News reported that the two men were promoted.
Lall was promoted by the PSC based on a recommendation from Persaud, while it was Persaud who directly promoted Dolai. After the promotions were reported on by Stabroek News, both the PSC and Persaud defended the promotions, saying that persons ought not to be punished indefinitely.
Apart from setting the genitals of the teenaged boy alight, Lall had an “unblemished record,” members of the PSC had told reporters in defending the promotion of the cop. “We should not hold something against someone because they would have committed something wrong…even though you have served the time for it and I think the public should understand that. From our record, he has been an outstanding policeman for over two decades and we have taken that into consideration,” chairman of the PSC Omesh Satyanand had said.
After Stabroek News reported on the promotions, there was a public outcry as well as calls for the ranks to be stripped of the promotions or even removed from the police force. The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) went as far as to say that then Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee should resign, while accusing him of attempting to wash his hands of the case. The Rights of the Child Commission (RCC) had also condemned the promotions and called for them to be rescinded. APNU and the AFC who are now in government also condemned the promotion of the cops.
Following the collapse of the criminal case because the boy and other witnesses failed to turn up, in 2011, in a civil action, Justice Roxane George found the ranks liable and after describing the case as constituting torture, awarded the teenager $6.5 million which the State eventually paid. An investigation by the police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had found that the two policemen injured and tortured the teen boy by pouring methylated spirits on his genital area and setting it alight. The Ministry of Home Affairs had also publicly acknowledged that the teen had been tortured and expressed regret.
The boy had been represented by Ramjattan who had told Stabroek News upon being informed of the promotions that the then Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee and Persaud need to explain how it is that the two police ranks could be promoted.
Apart from the charge relating to the teen, Dolai and Lall were charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding Nouravie Wilfred. The duo along with Corporal Oswald Foo were also charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding Deonarine Rafick, with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause him grievous bodily harm.
The offences were committed shortly after the teen, Wilfred and Rafick were arrested by police in connection with the murder of former Region Three vice-chairman Ramenauth Bisram. The teen was stripped and beaten before his genitals were burnt.
The case drew international condemnation.
At the time Dolai and Lall were interdicted from duty for their role in the torture of the teenage boy. They remained in the employ of the Guyana Police Force but were off duty and received half-pay. Foo was also interdicted for his role in the treatment of Rafick.
Following the OPR report, police surgeon Dr Mahendra Chand, who the report said treated the injured teen following the torture, was disciplined for his part in the incident. Several others, including the then ‘D’ Division Commander Paulette Morrison, were disciplined. Morrison was demoted and transferred. She has since retired from the Force.
