VP Jagdeo condemns acid attack on Chateu Margot students

• believes it was orchestrated to spread fear

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has strongly condemned Monday’s acid attack on several students and a teacher of the Château Margot Primary School on the East Coast Demerara stating that his belief that it was orchestrated to spread fear.

The incident whereby a corrosive substance, suspected to be acid was thrown on the pupils and teachers by men on a motorcycle, occurred amid unrest across the country on Monday.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Dr Jagdeo clarified that this incident was not domestic but a random attack that was designed to spread fear among communities, attempt at spreading fear among families.

“It could be any child; your child walking along with a ground like what happened there. And somebody randomly comes up and throw something on them and it was designed to create fear,” VP Jagdeo expressed.

He told reporters that he hopes the perpetrators will be arrested and charged with attempted murder and that the “intellectual authors” behind the attack will be identified.

This didn’t happen just like that. It was designed to spread fear into parents and this is not just about Indo-Guyanese parents…But imagine if your parent regardless of where you live, and you have your child, you’re worried now about that.  This is part of the campaign of terror that they’re always of wage,” he noted.

Vice president Jagdeo’s statement adds to the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall condemnation on the incident.

“This must be an act that cannot be rationalised at any level,” Minister Nandlall stated during his weekly programme ‘Issues in the News’ on Tuesday evening.

AG Nandlall has since indicated that the perpetrators could face charges of terrorism under the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, one of the most serious offences in the country’s legal framework.

“What could inspire such dastardly acts?” he had questioned.

While the injuries sustained were not life-threatening, the gravity of the crime could still warrant charges under Section 309E, which outlines penalties for terrorist acts. Under the law, if a terrorist act results in death, the offender is liable to the death penalty and a fine of $1.5 million. If no death occurs, the offender may still face a minimum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment ranging from 10 to 15 years.

Since the attack, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali met with the affected students, teachers, and their parents at State House in Georgetown on Tuesday.

Additionally, the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr Vindhya Persaud, and AG Nandlall also offered support to the affected persons at the Betterhope Community Centre.

Meanwhile, a comprehensive framework has been established to provide ongoing specialised medical care for the children to ensure their full physical recovery.