61-Y-0 man beaten with hammer during protest; others stripped, almost set on fire

A 61-year-old mechanic was on Tuesday attacked by 15 young men a short distance from his Recess, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home while three others were stripped, beaten and almost set on fire.

This occurred during protest action at Mahaicony over the brutal murder of 16-year-old Isaiah and 19-year-old Joel Henry whose mutilated bodies were found at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice (WCB) on Sunday.

The protests started at No. 5 Village, WCB where the teens resided and quickly spread to other villages including Recess and Calcutta in Mahaicony.

Dr Anesa Kandhai told the News Room that her father, Shyam Kandhai left his home to purchase items at his sister’s shop located on the Recess Public Road at around 11:00h and on his way back, he was stopped by a group of 15 young men on bicycles.

One of the men was armed with a hammer while the others were armed with wires which they used to hit him about his body.

“My dad just came out on the public road, less than two minutes from where we’re living and went to his sister’s shop to grab something, came out, entered his car and these guys blocked the road with bicycles, Dr Kandhai noted in a Facebook live video earlier Tuesday.

The man was struck to his head with the hammer and a scuffle ensued. The father of three was rescued by a nearby resident and subsequently taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital where he was treated and sent away.

The family is calling for peace to prevail before the situation worsens.

“I’m here urging every Guyanese to let peace reign because at the end of the day, if we continue with this mentality, we’re going to lose people that we love,” Dr Kandhai urged.

Meanwhile, the News Room has also confirmed that two other men were beaten and stripped on the Recess Public Road during the protest while a minibus was torched by the same 15 young men. They also tried to set the men on fire but they were rescued by residents.

Additionally, another man, identified as “Kunkie” was also beaten.