Police have arrested a suspect who was caught ripping down elections paraphernalia of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. The suspect is also accused of attacking the party’s supporters.
According to Police on Friday, 38-year-old Mitra Mohan was in the company of three other PPP/C members at Westminister (White Shop Short Cut) Road mounting PPP/C flags on the utility poles when the man confronted him whilst he was on a ladder and pulled him off.
The police said that the suspect then climbed the ladder and broke off the PPP/C flag from the pole then made good his escape. Police said the man was arrested at his Westminister, West Bank Demerara home after a report was made and is presently in custody assisting with the investigation.
Last week, former parliamentarian Harry Gill, along with other members of the PPP/C were attacked while erecting elections campaign flags at Number 10 Village, West Coast Berbice.
The incident, which was captured on ca
Flags that were ripped down
mera, shows persons verbally abusing and physically blocking the team as it attempted to place the flags on the utility poles.
In light of the recent attacks, the party had written to Police Commissioner Leslie James, asking for swift actions to be taken against supporters of the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, who attacked Opposition members and destroyed the party’s impedimenta.
The PPP strongly condemned the acts. More so, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed dissatisfaction in the way the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) is dealing with the reported campaign attacks while calling on the body to implement stricter penalties.
In 2015, a PPP/C rally was rudely interrupted by a band of supporters of the APNU/AFC – involving children in their nefarious activities, the supporters urinated on and burned PPP flags, and hurled missiles at the rally speakers, including party stalwart, Dr Roger Luncheon.
The person reported to have urinated on the PPP flag and subsequently set it ablaze was Child Welfare Officer Abigail Baveghems, who is also the daughter of an APNU member.
That incident has been widely criticised, given that it occurred on the same day that political parties had signed on to a Code of Conduct aimed at guiding the manner in which campaigning is conducted.
