Police will now be present outside the Carapichaima East and West Secondary Schools during dismissal to ensure students and members of the public are safe.
This was the word from acting Senior Superintendent of the Central Division Michael Pierre.
“We placed police officers at the schools from the hour of two o’ clock, that is to ensure the flow of children out of the compound and to their respective homes,” Pierre said.
The measure was put in place after maxi-taxi driver Varindra Singh was beaten by a group of students from both schools on Monday afternoon.
According to Route Three Maxi Taxi Association president Vickash Kissoondath, the children wanted to get to a student inside Singh’s maxi.
“One of the students was on the trip that normally goes to Cunupia with that particular driver. He had an altercation with some of the students from the East School and when he came to pick up the students from the West school, they actually stopped and blocked the maxi in the road and attempted to take the student out of the maxi,” Kissoondath said yesterday.
Kissoondath said Singh then came out his vehicle with a wheel spanner and tried to make peace between the students and warn them.
“To scare them off,” he said.
But his attempt backfired and the students attacked him and the student. Video footage of the group beating the 16-year-old boy and the driver surfaced on social media.
“They actually started to trample him and beat him senselessly on the ground,” Kissoondath said.
Both victims were taken to the Couva Hospital and Singh was transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital, where he was treated for damage to his ribs, jaw and nose. He was also monitored for internal bleeding before he was discharged yesterday. He suffered bruises all over his body and was still in a lot of pain.
Contacted on the issue yesterday, Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said a police report was made. This was confirmed by Pierre, who said Singh and the student made police reports.
Pierre said investigations were underway to see whether or not people would be charged.
“The investigator will be taking the statements and subsequently will submit a file for direction,” he said.
However, he didn’t want to comment on the wheel spanner Singh had in his hand, as he did not know if he intended to use it.
“We will let our investigation reveal the whole truth...we will determine all who is right and all who is wrong,” he said.
People on social media shared opposing views about the driver’s intervention. Some agreed with his actions while others did not.
“The driver shouldn’t of take matters into his own hands by threatening the school children with that weapon,” Teddy Brown said.
“No respect for the law, the elders, teachers, not even an adult anymore,” Marilyn Dan added.
Route Three Association president Kissoondath agreed. He said it was time to put the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child” back into action.
“If we speak to a parent right now and tell them ‘aye your son or your daughter was doing this’, they more vex than me and you, they want to attack the maxi taxi driver,” he said.
He said this reaction from parents and Monday’s attack had left many drivers afraid to pick up students at those schools.
“It’s an ongoing thing where the students take our operators for a joke. They had the TikTok trend recently where they were stopping maxis opening the sliding door, wiping their feet and tying their shoes and slamming back the door,” he said.
Kissoondath said thankfully, the drivers maintained their cool during these times. He added that in order to get a maxi-taxi badge, they need a police certificate of character, which Singh has and will not jeopardise.
That’s why he said it was unfortunate what happened to him.
“We hope that we get some justice for it,” he said.
He too welcomed the police presence on afternoons outside the schools.
