Relatives dispute police version of wedding house shooting

Apr 21, 2010 News

Vidyanand Ramrattan being taken into police custody after he was discharged from hospital yesterday.

Two brothers, one of whom was shot by police last Sunday at a wedding house in Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, are expected to appear in court today to face a series of charges.
But the men’s relatives are alleging that the police used excessive force to apprehend them, adding that their incarceration following the incident was inhumane.
Vidyanand Ramrattan called ‘Romel’ who was shot in the left leg during the incident was discharged from hospital yesterday was escorted by police to the Mahaicony Police Station despite visible signs of him being unable to walk properly.
His brother Totaram has been in custody since the incident, and according to relatives, the condition he is being kept under is a cause for concern.
The two men’s mother, Sushila Ramrattan, told this newspaper yesterday that her son has complained of being beaten by the police and made to lie in a wet cell after he was stripped of all his clothing.
Police sources said that the man, who was heavily under the influence of alcohol when he was arrested last Sunday, had threatened to commit suicide, so precaution was taken to prevent this.
They denied beating Ramrattan.
According to the police, last Sunday at a wedding house in Mahaicony, the two brothers were involved in an altercation with some other guests.
A senior police officer who was present at the wedding ceremony called ranks from the Mahaicony Police Station to the scene.
The police said that when ranks attempted to arrest the two brothers, Vidyanand Ramrattan pulled out a knife and attacked one of the policemen who discharged a round from his firearm to defend himself.
The injured man was subsequently taken to the Mahaicony Hospital from where he was transferred to the main public health facility.
However, relatives have painted a different picture of what transpired.
Sushila Ramrattan told this newspaper that on Sunday afternoon, she observed several police ranks at the wedding ceremony and suspected that something was amiss.
She said that she subsequently received a telephone call advising her to make contact with her sons who were at the wedding ceremony.
The woman said that she was told that her sons had been beaten at the wedding house.
“They lef the wedding house but dem wheel blow off and dey stop fuh fix it up and a police vehicle come up and block dem off,” Sushila Ramrattan told this newspaper. She claimed that the ranks proceeded to assault her sons with their fists and batons.
“He feel a burning in he foot; he nah bin know ah shoot he get shoot. Den dem pick he up and put he in de vehicle,” Sushila Ramrattan said. She denied that her son attacked the police with a knife.  “No, no! Me son dem nah go with weapon fuh harm nobody, dem go fuh enjoy demself,” the woman added.
“Ah de prefer fuh dem handcuff me son dem and carry dem to de station before they had to beat dem and kick dem up,” she cried.