A PEOPLE’s Progressive Party (PPP) protester at Cotton Tree Public Road, West Coast Berbice (WCB), was shot dead by police after he was seen chopping two other policemen who fled after their ammunition was finished while trying to disperse party supporters angered at the declaration of results for Region Four before verification.
Dead is Sewdat Hansraj, 18, of Cotton Tree Village, WCB.
According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), at about 19:40hrs on March 6, 2020, police ranks while performing duty on the Cotton Tree Public Road, WCB, came under attack by protesters which resulted in several ranks being hospitalised and their attacker dead.
Enquiries revealed that shortly before the attack, a gazetted officer and ranks cleared the said road of protesters and debris, leaving Sergeant Ibaran with several ranks to maintain free passage along the corridor
“The ranks were then attacked by a group of men armed with cutlasses, wood, iron, etc and were forced to discharge their weapons into the air to disperse the very hostile and aggressive crowd and after expending their ammunition, the ranks including Sergeant Ibaran, Corporal Williams, Constable Grant, and Constable Fraser were forced to seek refuge in nearby yards and during that process, it was alleged that one of the protesters who was later identified as Seedat ‘Devon’ Hansraj, 18 years, unemployed of Back Street Cotton Tree Village, WCB, chopped Sgt Ibaran and Constable Fraser and as he was attempting to deal the latter another chop, was shot once by one of two ranks who arrived at the scene and witnessed their colleagues being attacked and wounded,” the GPF said.
Sewdat Hansraj and the injured ranks (Sergeant Ibaran and Constable Fraser) and Constable Grant who was reportedly assaulted by protesters were rushed to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.
Hansraj was pronounced dead on arrival while the ranks received medical attention and were admitted. Their condition has been listed as stable.
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-8-2020