“We need answers; we need justice” – family demands thorough probe

Death at Suddie Police Station

When he was arrested on a drunk driving offence, family members of Lalbachan Bachan never thought his life would have come to such an abrupt end.

Bachan, a 39-year-old father of four, of Maria’s Lodge, Essequibo Coast, died under mysterious circumstances after three days of being confined in the lockups at the Suddie Police Station.
Bachan was the lone prisoner in the cell at the time of his demise.
Though emotionally distraught, his wife and children are willing to fight for justice, as they strongly believe the man’s death was more than just an accident.
A post-mortem examination performed on the man’s body showed that he died as a result of asphyxiation due to a fractured larynx (voice box).
This means that Bachan suffocated due to a fractured voice box but a police statement issued by Public Relations Officer Jairam Ramlakhan suggested that this could be as a result of a “fall”.
But Bachan’s eldest daughter is contending that the explanation cannot be justified.
In fact, she told Guyana Times that she told the police of her suspicion that her father was attacked, but the officer who visited the family did not seem to care.
“I asked the question; how can someone possibly get a fractured larynx by a simple fall? Something is not right.”
“He is not a crazy person to go and knock himself on a wall or if he fall, I would understand there [will be] marks on his head, but the throat have black and blue marks, what happened there?” the daughter posited.
Family members took to the streets to demand an investigation into the matter. Even the children were outside of the Suddie Police Station waving placards reading “we are fatherless” and “our father is murdered”.
The family suspects that Bachan was attacked by Police officers on duty because he did not pay $100,000, which they demanded for him to be set free.
Bachan’s mother, who joined the protest, waved a placard which read “My son life cost him $100,000”.
“We need justice; we need answers,” relatives demanded, some even in tears.
Bachan’s wife, Samantha, told this publication that she is trying with all her strength to be strong for her kids but she cannot help but break down and cry every time her youngest child asks for his dad.
Bachan’s mother, Maharanie, recalled seeing her son for about fifteen minutes on Sunday at the police station. She had gone down to the station since Friday, when he was arrested, but the officers allegedly refused to let her visit him.
“When me was at the station on Friday to take food for me son, the police take the food from me and they did not allow me to see he but me hear me son ah cry out fuh pain he saying that he nah feeling well but the police just ignored he,” the grieving mother said.
Photos seen by Guyana Times show bruises on the man’s knees, hands and neck.
The Guyana Police Force’s PRO, when contacted, confirmed that an investigation should be launched into the matter, as it is a policy of the administration to probe such incidents.