A 55-year-old man fell to his death on Monday night at his La Bonnne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara residence.
Dead is Damodar Panday, a father of one of Lot 3 Area K, LBI. He was a driver attached to a lumberyard, located at Good Hope, on the East Coast.
Stabroek News was told that around 11.30pm on Monday, an intoxicated Panday returned home from work. He had dinner and showered, after which he ventured out onto his verandah to relax as was customary.
Shortly after, his wife, Hemwatie Jaikaran, called ‘Rita,’ woke up and realised Panday was not in bed. As a result, she became worried and started to check for him around the house. She later discovered his lifeless body lying in a pool of blood in their yard.
When Stabroek News visited the dead man’s house yesterday, relatives and friends gathered in shock as the news of his death spread.
The weeping widow related to Stabroek News that after Panday was finished eating, he decided to shower and she warned him at that point to be careful. “He go in and he bathe and he come out good and he seh he ah guh upstairs, suh me guh behind he,” the grieving woman said. “Me guh quick and open the verandah door… he go out deh, guh stand up and he stand up there, a tek breeze and me seh ‘Okay, yuh nah come inside now?’ And he seh no and me deh a good while with he,” she recounted.
Jaikaran further explained that after she couldn’t persuade Panday to go into his bed, she left him on the verandah and retired to her bed.
The grieving woman said she fell asleep and subsequently woke up and realised Panday was not in bed as yet. “Every night he does wake up fuh tek breeze right, suh me gah one habit every night me does wake up fuh stretch meh hand fuh see if he’s not there [on the bed],” Jaikaran said.
She said in search of Panday, she rushed out the verandah but didn’t see him. “…And then meh come in back in the house and meh watching the inside step fuh see the light if it deh on downstairs but me ain’t see no light, suh me run back ah the verandah and when meh peep me see he lie down pun the ground and me holler fuh me son,” she said.
Jaikaran said she immediately called neighbours and informed them of what transpired. By this time Panday was already dead. He reportedly died on the spot.
The police were alerted and responded shortly after. An investigation has been launched and an autopsy will be conducted today.
Jaikaran said it is customary for Panday to sit and relax in the verandah. “Meh always tell he, ‘Yuh know, don’t sit up deh, tek the chair and sit down nah.’ But he nah want the chair… but to be honest me nah know if he lean ova or he climb and sit,” she said.
The woman recalled that several years ago, Panday fell from the verandah and sustained injuries about his body, which left him hospitalised for some three months.
Panday is survived by his wife and their son.
