`It’s very stressful and frustrating that this entire saga has been swept under the rug and life just goes on as if nothing ever happened because we are not the entitled ones. Whereas life for us can never be the same’
A relative of a person in one of the graves which were desecrated by the removal of sand from a cemetery in Region Five has lashed out at government and other officials as she stressed that the families are still continuing to seek answers.
Juliet Dukhi in a letter in yesterday’s Stabroek News said that it has been one year since the story broke about the callous act of the digging up of the cemetery by a contractor.
She cited failed approaches to President Irfaan Ali on this matter.
The matter has taken on political overtones as the contractor is said to be a relative of a person with close ties to the government.
Stressing that relatives have not forgotten about the matter, Dukhi said, that “this date will forever be etched in our memories as it’s of significant and sentimental attachment; for these are our loved ones who were so callously removed from their final resting places and discarded only God and the perpetrator(s) knows where.”
She stated that to date “no form of justice” was given to any of the relatives as such “there is no closure as there are still unanswered questions: mainly as to where are the remains of our loved ones whose graves and tombs were desecrated?”
Pointing out that if the emotional and psychological distress was not enough as they held on to a sliver of hope that justice would be served, “this was dashed after the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) sent back the file in late January, with the pronouncement that no criminal charges can be instituted by the police against the contractor as per lack of or insufficient evidence; but further stated that we the aggrieved party and/or the NDC (Neighbourhood Democra-tic Council) can take private legal action against him.”
This, she said, she found to be preposterous, “for if there’s insufficient evidence for the police to charge this callous contractor, how can we bring about private legal action based on this same evidence that we had submitted to the police (and presented to the DPP), which she the Madam DPP deemed insufficient? Also the NDC is an arm of the government. This right here seems like conflict of interest.”
Referencing the government’s One Guyana slogan, Dukhi asked whether it seemed “as if we were given any sort of reprieve by this government in order to alleviate the emotional/ psychological turmoil we are going through? Does it seem like we were given shelter under the “one” Umbrella? I see this chant of being “one” as just lip service for us grassroots and immunity for the entitled.”
She pointed out that on January 30th 2024, President Ali had visited Ithaca Village, West Bank Berbice.
“Prior to his visit I messaged him and sent him most of the information pertaining to this case. He responded and told me he had sent two ministers and he will ask them for an updated report. Now, those two ministers (of local government) are namely Sonia Parag and Anand Persaud, they had visited since October of 2023, at least three months prior; and yet it seems that no report was given to the President. The only conclusion one can derive from this, as per reason if that is so, is our deceased relatives and us are irrelevant”, Dukhi declared.
She said, “It’s very stressful and frustrating that this entire saga has been swept under the rug and life just goes on as if nothing ever happened because we are not the entitled ones. Whereas life for us can never be the same.”
Furthermore, she said during the President’s visit “I had also messaged the President and related that we would like to meet with him. He did not give me a response to that. Nevertheless, undaunted, a group of us went to Ithaca Village that afternoon and tried to engage him with our plight.”
She explained, “Myself and Pastor Sanjay approached him and the Pastor voiced our reason for being there, he asked who was Dukhi and I affirmed it’s me and he further asked if hadn’t I sent him a bunch of information earlier that day, I once more affirmed that I did. He then said to us and I quote ‘I will meet with you all later’. Now this was witnessed by all present as well as recorded by those who were representing media or otherwise. We, however, did not ask the President exactly how later. And ever since that day that he gave us his word we held on to it with the high hope that he would have kept it.”
According to Dukhi, “to date, as I pen this letter, we have never been contacted by anyone on behalf of the President nor himself. Bottom line, is we the aggrieved relatives feel as if we were disregarded, dismissed and discarded as irrelevant and unimportant.”
Individuals
In October of 2023, the Regional Vice Chairman, Rion Peters, had said that he had received reports that “some individuals” were doing excavation in the Murphy Dam Cemetery. As such he decided to check on the situation where he discovered “residents who were in grief and who were dissatisfied.”
According to Peters, he was very surprised that persons would want to carry out such an act in a cemetery the “final resting place” for the deceased.
Peters had stressed that based on the Rosignol/Zeelust Neigh-bourhood Democratic NDC plan the area is officially identified as a communal burial ground and that the police had been contacted.
Clarifying that to his knowledge the individuals involved had no contract with the RDC to supply sand, Peters had said, “There is a lot of construction going on so I’m not sure if this sand is being sold to private persons or contractor or what but the fact remains that the issue at hand is that the sand was removed from a cemetery and it is affecting the community.”
Meanwhile, several residents who had gathered at the location after the discovery had claimed that the graves of their relatives could not be found.
Vanessa also known as “Vanu” relayed that her husband passed away in June of 2023 and was buried at the location, however, they could not find his grave since the excavation. “We get message that somebody digging out and when we come nothing na here, just the hole we seeing, not even one piece board, nothing, nothing.”
Another villager, Rajendra Victor, 64, explained that several other tombs were missing. “More people bury here and them can’t find them… Last week Saturday me come a backdam and see them a dig with a hymac and them move out that one heap sand and them na move this one… Them a time people and try to move it and abbay loved ones them bury here, me father, me mother, me sister all bury here”, he said.
According to Victor, decades ago four residents came together and handed over the land for the burial ground. “When rain fall all them tomb wa left go wash down, them na supposed to do that to come and destroy the burial ground”, he lamented.
On October 15, 2023 Dukhi, wrote a letter to Stabroek News expressing how distressed she was as she tried to grapple with the situation. She highlighted that one of the graves was the resting place of her mother and this event had left her drained emotionally and psychologically. “Why did he continue to allow residents to continuously bury their loved ones there? Why didn’t he erect a notice that it’s private property? If he owns this land why is the Rosignol NDC selling the burial plots and not him? Why didn’t he inform the residents that he owns the land and it will be dug up and the sand removed/sold? These residents I refer to are from the catchment area of Cotton Tree Village on the northern end which includes the neighbouring villages on both sides as well as those at the Southern end under Blairmont/ Gelderland such as Plantain Walk and Shieldstown“, she stated in the letter.
In December last year the contractor, Alvin Chowramootoo, who was blamed for the removal of material from the burial ground said that no grave was damaged and he owns the land where the sand was taken from.
In an interview with the Stabroek News, he said that his section is located a distance away from the burial ground. He had noted that he had a bill of sale for part of the land and transport for part, all of which was acquired in 2014.
Additionally, the contractor claimed that both a private surveyor and a surveyor from Lands and Survey had visited the location following the incident and identified the area where the burial ground is located – what he described to be a “small piece.”
Chowramootoo had said that there were no remains discovered in the sand which was dug and further stated that persons started to use the burial ground only between 2014 – 2015. Nevertheless, he insisted when pressed that no grave was damaged.
