The police file concerning the fatal accident involving former Region Six Regional Executive Officer Dr Veerasammy Ramayya was sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on August 18, according to DPP Communications Specialist Liz Rahaman.
The August 8 accident on the Nigg Public Road, Corentyne, claimed the life of Ishwarnauth Bisram, a father of three.
Rahaman’s confirmation to Kiskadee Watch came after Bisram’s eldest daughter, Geetanjalie, said the family had received no update from either the police or the DPP.
“We haven’t heard anything from the police or the DPP. My father’s relatives haven’t spoken to us since the funeral, so we are left in the dark,” the soon-to-be 18-year-old said.
Geetanjalie, who recently wrote the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations and is awaiting the start of her tertiary education, said the family was struggling without Bisram, its main breadwinner. Her younger siblings attend Berbice High School.
She said she has also been unable to access other forms of financial assistance without her father’s death certificate.
According to the police, Ramayya’s vehicle struck Bisram as he was attempting to cross the Corentyne highway at Nigg.
Ramayya was detained following the accident and released three days later on $200,000 station bail.
He subsequently denied allegations that he had been intoxicated, saying he was returning from a wake at Reliance, East Canje, when the accident occurred.
“I left the wake house about 9.05, and I got to the main road and I was coming home, heading east on the public road,” Ramayya told the Berbice media after lodging the bail.
“When I reached Nigg, nothing was in front of me then. All of a sudden, this man came across the road from the southern side across to the northern side of the road. I made contact.”
Ramayya said Bisram came into contact with the right front light of his vehicle and fell onto the road. He said he travelled approximately 200 feet before stopping and returning to the scene. An acquaintance was sent to report the accident at the Albion Police Station, he added.
Bisram was taken by public-spirited persons to the Port Mourant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Ramayya said a breathalyser test administered by the police recorded 11 micrograms of alcohol, below the prescribed limit.
“I don’t drink,” he said.
Ramayya also said he had held a driver’s licence for more than 58 years without being involved in an accident. He described himself as deeply shaken by Bisram’s death but said he was prepared to have the matter adjudicated by the court.
Bisram, a businessman of Cumberland, East Canje, was formerly of the Belvedere Squatting Area, Corentyne. His relatives have called for justice following his death.
The matter is now awaiting advice from the DPP.
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