‘They just stood there. No warning shot was fired. There was no siren. Nothing. He continued chopping although the officers were watching.’ – Kwame Bhagwandin, who was chopped and burnt with acid in the New Amsterdam Prison on May 23
Kwame Bhagwandin, one of the inmates disfigured in an attack at the New Amsterdam Prison in May, is fearful that an attempt is being made to cover up collusion between prisoners and guards at the facility.
The Board of Inquiry set up to probe the attack handed over its report with recommendations to Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee a month ago but Bhagwandin, who was burnt with acid and chopped about his body with cutlasses by fellow inmates, says no statement was taken from him.
Bhagwandin was hospitalised for nearly two months due to the severity of his injuries. He had been on remand on charges of attempted robbery and discharging a loaded firearm when the attack occurred. He has since been released on bail and is still recuperating at home from the traumatic injuries he suffered.
However, he recently contacted Stabroek News to break his silence on the attack because he feels he is being denied justice. He believes that his attackers as well as the prison wardens who allegedly assisted them should face criminal charges for their wrongdoing but he has gotten no indication that this will be done.
Rohee has said that he will be studying the recommendations made by the Board of Inquiry together with officials of his ministry and the Guyana Prison Service,
