Grief-stricken over the brutal killing of his father, Rudy Gajadhar, wished yesterday he had died in his place instead.
Gajadhar’s father, James Gajadhar, 77,—a former school principal—succumbed to his injuries around 8.28 pm on Thursday at the San Fernando General Hospital. It was a day after he was brutally chopped in his garden by a mentally ill resident.
“Why must that guy take my father’s life? I wish he took my life instead,” lamented Gajadhar during an emotional interview at their Rio Claro home.
His father was attacked in his garden behind their home along Old Rio Claro Mayaro Road before 4 pm on Wednesday.
He told his wife he was going to pick ochros. The wife went to check on him after he failed to return after 30 minutes. She found the 77-year-old bleeding on the ground with gaping wounds around the body.
Gajadhar said his father was chopped multiple times, and his lung was also punctured.
Yesterday, residents in the neighbourhood said the 33-year-old suspect had violent outbursts and attacked people in the past. He lives in a bushy area at the back of the Gajadhar’s home. However, Gajadhar’s son said the suspect had never before “interfered” with his family. He claimed the suspect’s family left him to wander the community, knowing that he was mentally ill.
“The family of that madman know how he is and they will never correct it and just have him on the road walking and my father has to pay the price for that,” he said.
Gajadhar said his father retired as the principal of the Eccesville Presbyterian School. He also worked at the Biche Presbyterian School and had been an educator for over 45 years. He had two sons and a grandson and had been married to his wife Dianne, for 53 years.
The former principal’s other son, Russel took to Facebook where he expressed his grief over his father’s killing.
“He always made sure that his immediate family had food on (the) table and helped me in every way possible in making it in life. It’s sad the way he had to go knowing he still had life in his body, which was taken away by someone who should of been in St Ann’s.
“God knows best and I trust in God that one day we’ll meet again. I miss and love you Dad,”
Residents said Gajadhar was well-loved, a gem and a pillar in the community.
Mayaro MP Rushton Paray said Gajadhar’s “brutal” murder is another tragic reminder that crime and violence have tightened their merciless grip on T&T.
In a statement, he lamented, “Our once peaceful communities in the Mayaro constituency have been transformed into dangerous killing fields, where lawlessness reigns unchecked. This rampant criminality thrives on the perception that our police are ineffective, the judiciary is feeble, and the prison system is utterly impotent.”
He said the time for rhetoric and excuses has long passed. “We must confront the ugly truth that without a radical and immediate shift in our national security strategies, the situation will worsen. Our people deserve better; they demand action,” Paray said.
The suspect was arrested on Wednesday and remains in police custody.