Teen murdered, Bath Settlement man beaten to death amid WCB unrest

— “We are sad and angry, and we want justice” – family

As protest actions continue across Guyana, two more persons have been killed on Wednesday, one of whom is a teenager, and family members of these recent deceased are calling for justice.

Seventeen-year-old Haresh Singh of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) was killed early on Wednesday morning. According to initial reports from the Police, the teenager had left home on his motorcycle to attend his farm in the Backdam of Number Three Village, WCB. Sometime after, relatives saw smoke coming from the dam, and upon inspection, found his motorcycle burnt.
Singh was then discovered lying motionless and bleeding from the nose. Police said he had sustained injuries to the head.
The sister of this dead teenager, Lilawatie Singh, told Guyana Times that Haresh had left home at about 08:30h in the company of his uncles, to go the backdam to work. However, he returned home shortly after by himself, to take some water to the farm. He was on his way back to the farm when he was murdered.
Lilawatie recalled that shortly after Haresh had left on his motorcycle, their 12-year-old brother headed out to the dam to take out their cattle when he noted some men heading towards the backdam.
“When my next brother was carrying out the cows, he come back and say, ‘Grandma, I not going to the backdam’, ‘cause he see nuff man on the dam. So when he see the men, he turn back,” the sister explained.

At the time, the sound of Haresh’s motorcycle stopped, and shortly after, they saw a fire blazing on the dam. Suspicious that it was the motorcycle, they went to investigate, and discovered the motionless body of the teenager and the torched motorbike.
Haresh Singh was bleeding through his nose, and had wounds to his head, ears, neck and hands. According to the family, there was also an ‘X’ on his neck.
They then rushed the 17-year-old to the New Amsterdam Hospital, but he succumbed on the way.
The Police have since launched an investigation, but up to press time, no one has been arrested.
Meanwhile, the sister told this publication that they were unable to identify the perpetrators, since by the time they got to the scene, the men had already disappeared.
It is, however, suspected that Haresh’s murder is in retaliation for the deaths of Isaiah and Joel Henry – two cousins whose mutilated bodies were found aback Cottage Tree, WCB last weekend.
Singh is a close relative of one of the suspects currently in custody in relation to the murders of the two cousins.
Nevertheless, the family members of the 17-year-old arm demanding justice for his death.
“He was innocent,” his grieving sister declared, while adding, “We are sad and angry, and we want justice.”
Lilawatie, who along with her siblings have been living with their grandparents after their father died in 2018 and their mother disappeared about 10 years ago, contended that her brother did not deserve to die, especially in that manner. She described her brother as a hardworking person who had had dreams of starting his own family one day.
The sister noted that her younger brother had intentions of having a simple life, where he would “plant his farm and he gon wuk and he gon mine he wife”.
Additionally, according to the sister, the teenager had no issues with anyone in the community.
“My grandmother don’t allow him to go out on the road late with friends…he never had problems in the area. He was a good and loving [person]…he never trouble anyone. He was very good,” the sister expressed.
Haresh had been a student of the Number 11 Secondary School in West Berbice.
Meanwhile, <<Guyana Times>> understands that Singh’s grandfather and two of his uncles are among the seven persons Police have taken into custody for the murder of the Henry cousins.
The deaths of the two teenagers, aged 16 and 19, have sparked widespread and violent protests across the country, mostly in the Berbice Regions.

Bath Settlement murder
In fact, the second death on Wednesday occurred at the hands of protestors at Bath Settlement, WCB.
Dead is 34-year-old of Prettipaul Hargobin, called “Roy,” of Block B1 Waterloo, Bath Settlement. He was killed at about 15:45h on the Bath Settlement Public Road.
According to Police reports, the victim was in his motor vehicle on the Public Road at Bath Settlement when it was observed that he exited the vehicle with a shotgun and discharged one round into the air, before discharging three rounds towards a crowd of protestors who were about 60 metres away.
As a result of his actions, Hargobin was attacked and beaten by the crowd, whom the Police said are also residents of Bath Settlement.
Having observed the commotion, Police ranks who were some distance away rushed to the scene, where they discovered Hargobin lying on the ground with several injuries about his body.
However, Hargobin’s sister, Ronita, told Guyana Times that she had not been aware that her brother had a firearm. But she related that they were first attack by the protestors, before her brother went out alone and was killed.
She recalled that she was on the Public Road with some friends when her brother came out with his vehicle and was looking for some guy on a blue motorcycle. She said her brother was upset and crying, but would not tell her what had happened to him.
Ronita said she followed her brother in search of the person he was looking for, and they ended up meeting persons protesting on the road.
“We asked if anybody see the body on the blue motorcycle and they said no. Everyone flock around us asking what happened, and I don’t know if anybody think we were there to fight, but some of them hit up – one of them cuff me to my head. They hit at [my brother] also, but I didn’t allow him to fight back… They shut off the vehicle and kept the key. Then he asked for the key to go back home,” she stated.
The distraught sister said that Hargobin left, and she had to get someone to take her to his house, but while on the way there, she saw her brother’s vehicle heading back towards the protestors on the Public Road.
“I heard gunshots, and then I saw a whole lot of people flock around him. I don’t know what they did to him, but I was told he was chopped. I saw them hitting the vehicle and damage it – They torched it, and I couldn’t do anything. I asked them not to hit my brother, but it was in vain; nothing there help we…” the woman related.
According to Ronita, she rushed home to get her car to take her brother to the hospital, but by the time she returned to the scene, the Police were already there and they took him to seek medical attention. However, Hargobin died before reaching the Fort Wellington Hospital.
She described her brother as loving and supportive, noting that he had never been involved in such a situation.
Ronita said her 34-year-old brother had been married and had fathered two children. His body is currently at the Fort Wellington Hospital awaiting a post mortem examination. (G8)