Relatives of Haresh Singh want progress on murder probe
‘We can’t wait no more’
The relatives of Haresh Singh who was murdered last year took to the West Coast Berbice Public Road yesterday where they held a protest calling for justice for their loved one, as they stressed that they are tired of waiting on the police to make a breakthrough in the case.
Singh’s aunt, Ramona Balgobin, yesterday told Stabroek News, that the relatives decided to hold a protest in front of their house at Lot 8 Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice, because “we have been waiting a long while and nobody has been telling us anything”.
She said, that they are hoping to get people’s attention “that we are still waiting for justice”.
Singh was murdered during the unrest that erupted last September after the murder of the Henry cousins, Isaiah and Joel.
According to the woman, about fifty persons participated in the protest yesterday which comprised mostly relatives.
Balgobin said that the family is still finding it hard “that is a murder and nobody has ever murdered in our family. We can’t give up”.
The woman said that she could not even remember the last time they heard from the police. “Every time we call them they saying there are still investigating and I don’t know when they will finish investigating”.
She added, “We waiting to hear what they gone come up with, we never hear nobody get arrested for Haresh Singh and we can’t wait no more so we decide to protest”.
The woman said that they are likely to continue with their protests until they garner the attention of the authorities and the police.
Haresh’s grandmother, Basmattie Singh, 62, of Lot 8 Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice, yesterday told Stabroek News that just around 11.30 am they had a peaceful walk on the road a short distance away from their house on both sides.
“We heard shouting on the road that you can’t go pass Number 5 and we turn back”.
Balgobin yesterday added that they didn’t walk further up the road as planned since “we are scared”.
In late January, Stabroek News reported that DNA samples had been taken from individuals who were detained over the murder of the teenager and were submitted to the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL) for testing.
In that report, Director of the GFSL Delon France when contacted could not state whether those specific samples were received since he noted that evidence is usually submitted for processing using codes or an alphanumeric system.
France however had stated that once the samples were submitted, the results should be available within two weeks since the machine is functioning and test kits are available.
Seventeen-year-old Singh also known as ‘Raj’, of Lot 8, Number 3 Village, WCB was found with head injuries and chop wounds along the Number 2 backdam on September 9th, 2020.
Reports had revealed that Singh left home on his motorcycle to tend to his farm in the backdam of No. 3 Village, WCB. Sometime after, his relatives saw smoke rising from the said backdam and left to investigate. They then discovered the body of Singh lying motionless and bleeding from his nose.
His motorcycle was also burnt.
An autopsy later concluded that he died as a result of brain haemorrhaging and blunt trauma to the head, compounded by compression injuries to his neck.
Singh was murdered days after teenaged cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry in what is believed to be a reprisal killing.