Reported By Marcia Braveboy
Special To NAN
News Americas, PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Mon. Feb. 8, 2021: Protests and outrage continued in the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Sunday following the senseless kidnapping, murder and suspected rape of Andrea Bharatt.
Bharatt’s kidnapping and murder has touched a nerve in the Caribbean nation. On Sunday, Ishmael Tarouba and Dimitri Chote organized a protest at the Queen’s Park Savannah as the anger, hurt and frustration with rising crime on the island and assault of women, reached a new level.
Several hundred protesters gathered, some with placards that read: “Our rights are not up for grabs. Neither are we;” “Fed up with media conferences, do your job!;” “Pull up on yuh bedrin who tracking school girls;” “Stop protecting rapists;” and “Stop tell women how to dress, start teaching men not to rape,” among others.
Hundreds of other have taken to social media to call for the legalization of non-lethal weapons for women as well as stricter legislation for rapists and kidnappers.
Bharatt’s decomposing body was found on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 in the heavily forest area of Aripo in Eastern Trinidad, after she was reported missing on Jan. 29, 2021. She had taken a taxi home from work with a friend before she disappeared.
Police sources says she was badly beaten and was only identified by her aunt and father from her clothing. Authorities have concluded that she was murdered, and her body dumped mere hours after she was kidnapped.
Two other human skeletal remains were also found on Friday, Feb. 5th in the same Aripo area, and police are now investigating whether the area was a dumping ground for a serial murderer.
Only two months ago, 18-year-old Ashanti Riley also got into a taxi and disappeared. She too was found dead days later.
A main suspect is currently in police custody, and he reportedly has a rap sheet stretching from 2004 to 2020, including sexual offences, firearms, robbery and kidnapping, according to Guardian Media reports.
The 37-year-old suspect is, however, in critical condition at hospital and may be paralyzed after he attempted to escape from police custody hours after he was detained for questioning last Sunday.
Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, meanwhile, told the media at a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 4th, that he will now move to create a PH taxi data base to track criminal elements.
This is consistent with the call of prime minister Keith Rowley, who last December, called on his minister of works and transport, and the attorney general, to find ways to regulate PH taxis.
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, however, wants the Rowley government to legalize pepper-spray for women. She is also urging the government to stop politicizing crime and spend money on arming the protective services to adequately fight crime.
Former University of the West Indies, Principal of the St Augustine campus in Trinidad, Bhoendadratt Tewarie, for his part asked: “Where is the conscience of these men who kill?”
A full report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Bharatt will be given after a post-mortem is conducted.
The outrage comes amid reports that another young woman, Ornella Bridgelal, is missing. Christopher Harry posted these details on his Facebook page: “Her name is Ornella Bridgelal. She was last seen on Tuesday night in Marbella. Anyone with information of her please contact us @ 391-1677 ,288-5833 or 369-8326. Please share, she’s my neighbor ”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Marcia Braveboy is a journalist and blogger based in Trinidad & Tobago.
