Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie has assured the families of Christopher Bhagwandat and his girlfriend, Sheereda Persaud that there will be an impartial investigation into the accident which claimed their lives on the Mahaica Bridge on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn said the “requisite” reviews will be done as it relates to the accident. “I have to say that we at the Ministry are distressed and I am personally distressed at the accident at the Mahaica Bridge ….The requisite reviews will be done in respect of that matter,” Benn told the National Assembly during his contribution to the budget debate yesterday.
According to a Guyana Police Force (GPF) statement, Hoppie delivered the promise as he met and interacted with the families at their homes yesterday. During the visit, the statement said Hoppie also expressed disappointment at the circumstances surrounding the accident.
“He expressed his personal disappointment at the circumstances of the unfortunate event that transpired and assured the family that he is committed to having an impartial investigation done,” the statement said.
Bhagwandat, 21, and Persaud, 16, lost their lives on Wednesday morning after the car in which they were in was involved in a four-vehicle pile-up during a high-speed chase by the police.
The accident occurred around 11am. At the time, Bhagwandat was the driver of motor car, PNN 8852 which was being pursued by police vehicle, PAB 3143 after he allegedly drove away after being stopped at a police roadblock. The force’s vehicle was driven by Corporal Carmichael. He was accompanied by three other ranks: Constables Tucker, Johnson and Sam.
“According to Corporal Carmichael, as they were pursuing the vehicle on the Mahaica Bridge, the driver pulled right and collided with the force vehicle, which collided with the bridge rail and both the force vehicle and PNN 8852 collided with motor canter, GJJ 9151” which was proceeding in the opposite direction, the police explained.
Another motor car, PAB 8222 which was driven by Derick Dickson, 29, of New Amsterdam, Berbice and which behind the canter also sustained damage as a result of the accident.
The accident which was captured on nearby CCTV footage raised questions as to whether the police pursuit was warranted in this case more so since it is still unclear why Bhagwandat was being pursued.
Questioned about this yesterday, Police Commander of Region Four, Khali Pareshram told Stabroek News that the investigation into the accident is still ongoing. “We are still gathering statements as we continue investigation….Some of the persons are still hospitalised, so we are still monitoring their conditions and taking statements,” he explained.
In terms of whether any review will be done about such police operations, Pareshram said this will be determined during the investigation. “The investigation will bring that out,” he said.
Similar questions were posed to Traffic Chief Ramesh Ashram, who directed this newspaper to the force’s Corporate Communications Department. “Call the PRO (Public Relations Officer), they got all the facts,” Ashram said before he ended the call.
Stabroek News did reach out to the Director of the force’s Corporate Communications Department, Mark Ramotar, who requested that the questions be sent to him. Up to late yesterday afternoon, there had been no response from Ramotar.
Murdered
During a telephone interview with Stabroek News yesterday, Bhagwandat’s mother, Shameeza Bhagwandat charged that her son had been murdered by the police.
“I know my son was murdered. Because if them seh them stop him and he drive away I give him total wrong but why they chasing him. They should have chased him and when he reach he distance and come out at he destination yuh coulda get him,” Shameeza said.
“My son don’t drink and smoke. He is not a bandit. They murdered my son. The police murder my son. I know that. I see the video where they knock the car with an impact and then he end up into the truck,” the woman cried.
Shameeza said she told the police when they visited her home yesterday that she is seeking justice for her son.“I told the police them……I ain’t frighten no police….I want justice for my son….The Commissioner of Police was here, the Commander was here, a lot of them was here and I told them everything. I need justice and they said they are looking into the matter,” she explained.
Shameeza who celebrated her birthday on Wednesday recalled that she was in bed on Wednesday morning when Christopher greeted her before he left home. “He leave 6 o’clock in the morning and I didn’t see him. He just kiss me and he said happy birthday and he gone. I said ‘where you going?’ and he said ‘I going out and come back and give you a surprise fah yuh birthday’ and he left,” Shameeza further explained.
She said she cooked and prepared for the day after which she telephoned Christopher to ask him when he was returning home and he told her soon. “When 9.30-10 reach I call him and I said ‘where are you?’ and he said ‘I near home. I coming just now I go reach’,” she said.
As midday passed and Christopher didn’t return, Shameeza said she decided to call him again but got no answer. “When I check Facebook there I see the accident and I decide to call he number and I ain’t getting no response,” the woman noted.
As such, she said she ventured downstairs and asked her nephew whether he knew where Christopher was but he responded in the negative. “I say ‘Boy where is Christopher?’ He said ‘aunty I don’t know where Christopher gone since morning’,” Shameeza related.
By that time, she said someone came to her house and informed her that Christopher had been involved in an accident and he had died. “The person come and ask whether Christopher was home and I said no. They said ‘he ain’t gone to work.’ I said ‘no, he gone out’. Them seh he get accident at Mahaica and dead,” Shameeza cried.
Yesterday marked five months since Shameeza lost her husband. “My son does work. He is a mechanic and my son does run the house for the past seven years……My husband had a stroke seven years ago and he come out of school and he was working and mine we,” Shameeza told this newspaper as she wept uncontrollably.
The car which Christopher was driving does not belongs to him. “I don’t know where he get the car from and who car it is. I don’t have a vehicle,” Shameeza said.
Likewise, she said she never met Persaud nor was she expecting her on Wednesday. “All that I know he said he like a girl at Berbice but I don’t know the child,” she noted.
Speedy investigation
The police in the statement yesterday said that an aunt of Persaud has called for a speedy investigation into the accident.
“Ms. Persaud’s aunt during her emotional interaction with the Commissioner expressed her profound grief at the passing of her niece and asked for a speedy investigation to ascertain the motive behind the accident in order for them to have closure,” the statement said.
It added that the family further asked for the GPF to employ more training sessions for its ranks to avoid any recurrence.
In a separate interview with this newspaper, an uncle of Sheereda Persaud, Tameshwar Persaud stated that he believed that the police acted unprofessionally.
Tameshwar said there were other methods which could have been adopted by the police to intercept Christopher such as the setting up of another road block. “I think the Guyana Police Force acted unprofessional… They could have put other roadblocks after that one,” he said.
According to Tameshwar, Sheereda’s family does not know Christopher neither were they aware she had left with him. He said the young woman left home on Wednesday morning dressed in her uniform for school. “No family had no idea because she leave for school with uniform,” he said.
He said that he understands that at some point Sheereda left school and joined Christopher.
Tameshwar explained that Sheereda was supposed to join her family to celebrate one of her relatives’ birthday after school. “So after school the arrangement was for she to come to us in Cotton Tree (Berbice),” he noted.
However, around 3pm, Tameshwar related that Sheereda’s mother called him to ask if she had arrived at the birthday as yet. “When I got the phone call from the mother it was 3 o’clock. The mother ask me if she came and I said ‘no’. So the mother was very worried,” he further explained.
At that point, Sheereda’s mother knew there was an accident but didn’t know it was her daughter who was involved and had died. “…The mother did not fully know. She heard people saying there was an accident and whatever but she knew the daughter gone to school that’s one, she knew the daughter had to be with us at 3 o’ clock,” the uncle told this newspaper.
A few minutes later, he said a police officer contacted the teen’s mother. It was to summon her to the parlour to identify her daughter’s body.
Sheereda was a participant at the 6th annual Youth Parliament which took place in August last year. She played the role of the Minister of Home Affairs and moved a motion titled “safe usage of Guyana’s roadway”.
The teenager who was the only daughter for her parents had registered to sit eleven subjects for the CXC examinations this year.
