By Readawne Henery
Relatives of Mahendra Deopaul, the man who police say was fatally injured while trying to evade ranks on Sunday, are questioning the report of how he met his death as they say evidence is pointing in a different direction.
According to the Guyana Police Force, the fatal accident occurred at about 11.45 pm on Sunday along La Parfaite Harmonie Public Road, West Bank Demerara, as Deopaul, 20, of Lot 267 La Parfaite Harmonie, lost control of his motorcycle in an attempt to escape from them.
The police said Deopaul was riding a motorcycle, #CK 5677, without a safety helmet, when he was approached by a police vehicle that attempted to stop him. However, they said Deopaul, upon seeing the police vehicle, continued driving at a fast rate in an attempt to evade the lawmen, who subsequently gave chase behind him.
According to the police, Deopaul ended up riding into potholes along the road, resulting in him losing control of his bike, falling on the road and suffering fatal injuries.
Davina Mohammed, the sister of the now deceased, stated that her brother left home around 3.30 pm on Sunday. The woman does not know where he was headed but recounted that she received a call around 10.27 pm from a parent of one of her brother’s friends asking if she knew where they were.
Mohammed, who had already retired to bed, said she was later awakened sometime after 1am, when another relative of Deopaul’s friend came to inquire about the two missing men.
She said checks were made for the two but they were not found. However, sometime around 2 am Mohammed said the friend, who Deopaul went out with, came to the house and informed his relatives that he was involved in an accident and they needed to visit the police station immediately.
The woman said upon arrival at the station relatives witnessed Deopaul’s motorcycle being taken out of a police van.
She said family members made enquiries about Deopaul’s condition and were told that he had a few bruises and was taken to the hospital. However, she later learnt that his condition was critical.
Mohammed said when she arrived at the hospital, she saw her brother and was told that his brain was shutting down. He was bleeding in the eyes, nose and a side of his head was smashed in, she noted.
The woman said family members later visited the scene, where police said Mahendra lost control of his bike, and what they saw conflicted with what the police reported.
She explained that Mahendra’s slippers, as well as parts from the motorcycle and blood stains, were found at least 50 feet away from the potholes where police said he lost control.
The woman added that the potholes were not deep, while there are no nearby posts or other objects her brother could have slammed into along the road.
As a result, the relatives believe that Mahendra may have possibly been hit from the bike since it was badly damaged at the rear. At the time of the incident, the family said Mahendra was on his way home on his bike while his friend was driving a car behind. According to the sister, the friend told relatives that he followed the police vehicle but was unable to say anything further due to him being traumatised by the ordeal.
Mahendra, who worked as a mechanic, was the holder of a provisional licence for his motorcycle, and had no previous encounters with the law. He was also said to be wearing his helmet at the time of the chase but family members have been unable to find it.
Mohammed said the family needs an explanation, while noting that they were yet to receive information from the police as to what the ranks who were part of the patrol reported.
