Sewdial Persaud, the man who was found dead in the Number 51 Police Station lock-ups in June of this year died as a result of asphyxiation due to hanging and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had recommended that an inquest be held into his death.
This is according to Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, who was responding in writing to APNU+AFC Member of Parliament (MP) Geeta Chandan-Edmond, who asked about Persaud’s death while he was in police custody on 17th June, 2021.
The responses were circulated during Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly.
Chandan-Edmond said that Persaud’s death has triggered “serious” concerns and calls for justice by his family and members of the community in which he resided.
As such, she asked for details on his cause of death and for a medical report to be presented to the House.
In a brief response, Benn stated that Persaud’s cause of death was given as asphyxiation due to hanging. There was no clear indication whether the medical report was provided.
Chandan-Edmond also enquired if the matter was referred to any investigating body or authority. She asked to be provided with the findings if it was.
In his written response, Benn said that Persaud’s death was investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). “The death of Mr Sewdial Persaud was investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility which recommended an inquest be held. The file on this matter has been referred to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),”he said.
Chandan-Edmond also requested to be provided with details of the incident which led to the intervention of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
Benn noted in his response that Persaud was arrested and placed in custody on 17th June, 2021 after reports by his reputed wife of verbal and physical abuse and threats to commit suicide by ingesting poison.
In her questions, Chandan-Edmond also asked Benn to state whether all the required Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were followed before, during and after the arrest of Persaud.
“Basic Standard and Operating Procedures were followed related to the arrest of Mr, Persaud,” Benn said.
The GPF in a statement had said that an investigation had been launched into the death of 45-year-old Persaud of Number 58 Village, Corentyne, who was found hanging from the door of a cell in the lock-up of the No. 51 Police Station around 4 pm on June 17, 2021.
According to the statement, the man’s common-law wife made a report against him, claiming that he had threatened to kill her, burn their house and then kill himself, which led to the police placing the man under arrest.
“As a result, Sewdial Persaud was arrested by the police and at about 10:25 hours [on Thursday], he was placed in the passageway between the cells of the lockups, clothed in his boxer shorts. There were two other prisoners in one of the holding cells of the lockups at the time,” the statement said.
“Later, during another visit to the lockups by the Subordinate Officer in charge of the Station, Sewdial Persaud was found on his knees hanging from a cell door with the elastic waist band from a boxer shorts around his neck and tied to the door of a cell. Another boxer shorts belonging to one of the other prisoners, along with Sewdial Persaud’s boxer shorts, were found in the passageway, without their elastic waist bands”, it further explained.
However, Persaud’s relatives had doubted the account released by the police and called for a thorough investigation to be carried out.
They had said they do not believe he took his own life.
