– no charges filed
Two protesters arrested during a silent demonstration calling for the resignation of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill over the deadly MV Barima tragedy say they will take their complaint against the police to the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) after officers informed them yesterday that no charges would be laid.
Salima Bacchus-Hinds, who was one of those arrested on Wednesday evening, told Kiskadee Watch that she and fellow protester Sherlina Nageer returned to the police station as instructed at 9:00 hrs yesterday, where they were told the matter would not proceed.
However, she said they intend to pursue a formal complaint over the officers’ conduct during the arrest, alleging that Nageer was practically assaulted by a police officer and that another plainclothes officer became increasingly aggressive. A video circulating online shows the officers shoving and pushing Nageer as they forcefully tried to remove her from the scene.
“We were quite okay with complying if they had explained themselves,” Bacchus-Hinds said, noting that the police had misrepresented the law by claiming the group was engaged in unlawful assembly.
“The thing on top of my mind is the police officers misrepresented the law and made assertions about unlawful assembly. It is upsetting that officers of the state can be bullying citizens into silence instead of working with the citizens,” she expressed.
According to Bacchus-Hinds, the group had assembled to call for accountability in the aftermath of the MV Barima disaster, which has claimed dozens of lives. “We just came together as individuals to make a call for accountability. We are of the strong belief that Edghill needs to step down.”
Three protesters were arrested on Wednesday night at the Kingston Seawall for alleged unlawful assembly while hundreds of people gathered nearby for a National Interfaith Prayer Service in memory of those who died and survived the ferry tragedy.
Following their release on self-bail on Wednesday night, Nageer told Kiskadee Watch that five people had gathered near the electronic billboard at the Kingston Seawall holding placards calling for Edghill’s resignation, but only three were arrested. She said police instructed the group to move from the area and, when they questioned the instruction, officers physically removed them.
“They said unlawful assembly. They wanted us to move from where we were, and we resisted moving. And then they physically moved us,” Nageer said, maintaining that the demonstration was peaceful, with protesters standing silently while holding placards, and without obstructing traffic or using amplified sound.
The protesters later moved closer to the area where the National Interfaith Prayer Service was taking place but insisted they had no intention of disrupting the observance, saying they too were mourning the loss of life.
The protest came in light of growing public calls for Edghill to resign over the MV Barima tragedy, as the Transport and Harbours Department, which operates the vessel, falls under the Ministry of Public Works.
Nageer argued that accountability should extend beyond frontline employees to senior officials responsible for oversight. “We’ve seen too many cases with other tragedies where a few, let’s call them small people, get thrown under the bus and they get blamed for everything. And the higher-ups who have also failed, nothing happens to them. That’s why we called Edghill out. He’s the minister. This is under his watch. We need real accountability,” she said.
The National Interfaith Prayer Service was the first event in three days of national mourning declared by President Irfaan Ali. Grieving families, survivors, government officials, diplomats, religious leaders and members of the public attended the service in remembrance of those affected by the tragedy.
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