A former Imam of Independence Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara had beer bottles rained like missiles on his home and vehicles on Sunday night after asking neighbours to turn down their loud music.
Safir Warisali, a 63-year-old heart patient was saddened yesterday as he showed Stabroek News the destruction done to the glass door and windows to the front of his house and to the windscreens of his car and jeep.
He said the music started playing on Thursday evening at the house where a wedding was being celebrated, but not too loud. It continued on Friday until 12:30, a bit louder but he said nothing.
On Saturday evening the music blasted to the fullest but yet, Warisali did not complain.
It was not until around 2:30 on Sunday morning when he could no longer take it that he went across and asked the host, who he said is the headmaster of West Demerara Secondary School to “turn down the base.”
The owner complied and even stopped the music but Warisali said rumours apparently got around that he had called the police.
The first attack was around 8.30 pm on Sunday when his son, Wazim, 29, a beekeeper was trying to drive out of the yard and realized that it had been blocked by a vehicle. He asked for it to be removed and an argument ensued.
Some of the guests at the wedding celebration who were drinking on the roadway then formed an angry mob and lobbed bottles at the two vehicles that were in the yard. This lasted for about half hour as Warisali, his wife and Wazim ducked for cover.
The man said he phoned the La Grange Police Station but no officer showed up. He then hired a taxi and brought the officers to the scene and they took statements. The police returned yesterday afternoon and took further statements.
He had already retired to bed when the police patrol went to the wedding house at around 12:30 am yesterday and stopped the music. After they left, Warisali and his family again went through another unwarranted attack.
This time, the mob hurled bottles, some from a box, and an iron bar at his house, shattering the glass windows and doors. In the aftermath, broken glass was scattered around the yard and house, including the area where the family performed their prayers.
Warisali, a remigrant said some of the guests threatened him that they were not finished and that they would “come back. Some of them even tell me that Fullaman don’t run this country…”
According to him, “situation like this does cause people to take the law in their own hands…”
He said the host went across to his house afterwards and hugged him and apologized, saying he had nothing to do with it. “He tell me that the vibration was so much that it caused his perfume bottles to fall off his shelves.”
But Warisali was not willing to buy that. As a way of venting his frustration, he placed plyboard in front of damaged glass door and wrote, among other things, that “Sir Harry” and his nephew caused it to happen.
To make matters worse, he said, the owner of the music set that was playing at the wedding is the nephew of a police corporal. Besides, another police officer also lives next to the wedding house but he too did not do anything.
Warisali said all he wants is justice and is also pleading with the authorities to take swift action. He said too that such situations should be prevented in the future because lives can be lost.
