Police late Tuesday released those persons held following the Monday night Windsor Forest melee during which three villagers were shot and they have charged no one as
yet.
The advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions is likely to be sought even as the police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) continued its probe of the incident, a police source told Stabroek News yesterday.
Meanwhile, Hansraj Ori, the man struck by at least three pellets remains hospitalized though relatives transferred him to another city hospital. Two pellets were removed from his abdomen while a third was lodged in his neck. He was scheduled to undergo another surgery to remove that pellet, Stabroek News was told.
Police had said that they were forced to open fire after a crowd – irate after police ordered the music sets to be turned off – attacked them on Monday night. However, residents denied that they had attacked the police. But on the road there were marks where a tyre was set aflame and residents admitted that a trailer was dragged across the road as some protested the detention of several persons responsible for the music sets. Several others were beaten, reportedly by angry ranks, during the incident and over a dozen were arrested.
Residents made several allegations about the police including that ranks had demanded money for them to al
On Tuesday, the police announced that the OPR had launched an investigation into the incident.
Ramnarine Jagroop, one of the men who was shot, up to late yesterday was not contacted by police to give a statement. “None of dem nah come and ask nothing and me nah go to the station”, he said. Jagroop was wounded by two pellets and while one was removed, another remained lodged in his upper thigh. He said yesterday that it continues to pain him and he plans to seek private medical treatment today.
Ramdat Parbhudin, who was beaten in the “Unstoppable” bar at Windsor Forest reportedly by the police during the incident, sustained a gash to his forehead and while he had gone to the police station on Tuesday, he said that the police made no further contact with him.
Some residents expressed concern that the matter may not be fully investigated and Jagroop indicated an intention to pursue it but Parbhudin said that he was not sure. The police source said that investigations could take some time to be concluded.
