Intellectual authors behind acid attack on pupils, teachers must also be held accountable – VP

Expressing his view that Monday’s acid attack on pupils and teachers of the Chateau Margot Primary School on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) was designed to spread fear, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has noted that the police must also find the intellectual authors behind the act.

Three pupils and two teachers received injuries about their bodies when two men on a motorcycle approached them and threw a substance on them as they were walking home.

The substance caused them to receive burns about their bodies. They were escorted to a hospital by Education Minister Priya Manickchand for treatment.

Speaking during his press conference on Wednesday, Jagdeo noted that the police must find the persons who committed the act as well as their intellectual authors.

“They have footages of these people, I hope that they get arrested, they will be arrested and charged for attempted murder so they’ll sit in prison a long time and then they can tell us about the intellectual authors of this fear,” Jagdeo said.

The incident took place amid countrywide protests calling for justice in the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge whose body was found in a pool at the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) on Thursday, April 24.

Jagdeo noted that the attack could have happened on anyone. “I think it was intended to spread fear because just think about families, children; children raise a lot of emotions in our country [because] people are concerned and it could be any child…and somebody randomly comes up and throw something on them,” he expressed.

The victims and their families have since met with President Dr Irfaan Ali and other ministers of government who pledged their support and commitment in ensuring justice is served.

The government has since committed to providing medical care to those affected in the incident. Additionally, in close collaboration with the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) and the Ministry of Education, trauma-focus counseling is being extended to facilitate the emotional healing process. Dedicated follow-up engagements are also being prioritised for both the students, parents and teachers.