BASS members should be prosecuted for 2001 shooting

Jul 20, 2015 News

– victims’ relatives

Relatives of persons who were shot and killed in 2001 by members of the Berbice Anti Smuggling Squad (BASS) are calling for them to be prosecuted.
Although relatives are happy that the controversial body has been disbanded by the new government with immediate effect, they are still hurting from the incident which took place some 14 years ago and are calling on the Granger administration to make sure that the long overdue inquest is held and those responsible for the killing of their relatives be prosecuted.
Although an inquest was ordered and set to begin in August 2013 at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court, it never got on the way. The main purpose of that inquest was to determine if anyone is criminally responsible for the deaths of the five persons who were killed during the BASS shooting incident on August 17, 2001. Some 37 persons including some 11 BASS officers were down to give evidence.
The persons who died were Janet Bess, Valarie Alves, Stephen Angel, Mahendra Samsundar and Saif Ghanie.
Saif Ghani (18) and Steven Angel (42) were both killed by live rounds fired at protestors. Both Angel and Ghani were alleged to be observing the protest from a distance when they were shot. Janet Best, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was exercising on the foreshore behind the BASS headquarters when she was shot (and eventually died in a subsequent ambulance accident en route to the New Amsterdam Hospital). Alves was the nurse accompanying the injured in the ambulance. A relative of Angel, in an interview with Kaieteur News, stated that they will be pursuing the matter with the new administration in an effort to get justice. “Those people at BASS killed our relatives and are cold blooded murderers that were being protected by the PPP regime. Now that a new government is in power, we want justice,” the relative said.
At the time of the shootings, hundreds of persons were protesting the alleged killings of Azad ‘AK 47’ Bacchus, 41, his son Shazad Bacchus, 18, and his nephew Fazil Ally, 15, at the hands of BASS members.
The BASS body, which was set up by the PPP government in November 2000 as a parallel arm of the Guyana Revenue Authority, was disbanded on Friday 17th July with immediate effect.
The body which was established with the objective of curbing smuggling within the Corentyne/Berbice area has failed miserably and over the years has been brought into disrepute. An examination of the effectiveness of BASS revealed that the unit was performing below expectation, with a rapid decrease in revenue collection over the period 2012-2015, with member of the controversial body being closely aligned with the former PPP party. Members campaigned openly for the PPP at previous elections while vehicles assigned to the body were also used plainly for PPP campaign activities. It was also not certain who these persons reported to and what were their employment and payment policies. Some 19 persons were sent packing.
The unit was supposed to be patrolling waterways and roadways to suppress smuggling; however it has failed miserably and was reportedly involved in other covert activities.
The disbandment was ordered shortly after a member of BASS was charged with shooting a labourer to death earlier this month.
Shafraz Khan, 40, a father of two, of Hassim Street, Corriverton, Corentyne, Berbice, appeared on July 9 before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court. The BASS official was accused of fatally shooting 40-year-old Charles Caesar, called ‘Nagasar’, a father of two, of Fyrish Village, Corentyne, on Friday July 3, last, at the Number 67 Village foreshore.
Khan is accused of discharging a loaded firearm at Caesar thereby causing him injuries from which he subsequently died. Caesar was reportedly shot in his leg and left on the foreshore for hours after the shooting.

Latest News

BASS members should be prosecuted for 2001 shooting

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Everest Masters to engage Costa Rica in T20 fixtures

GCB saddened at passing of Former GCB...

Guyana/Barbados battle as opening round gets...

ESCL T20 starts March 2

Guyana boys team selected for 2025 PAHF Jr...

Mainstay Goldstar FC receives NSC support ahead...

Features/Columnists

A flawed interpretation of international law

CARICOM Nations Should Respond Together To new U.S. Policies

SN on TI, a thorough battering of the PPP Govt.

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

BASS members should be prosecuted for 2001 shooting

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]