By Leroy Smith

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Balram Persaud, who died last Tuesday while receiving medical attention for injuries he sustained in a car accident earlier this month, was on Sunday given a moving military send-off.The funeral was attended by close family members, including his wife and children; senior and junior members of the Police Force; representatives of the armed forces; President David Granger; Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan; former President, Donald Ramotar; and other friends and associates.

The former Assistant Commissioner, Administration, who was due to retire in a few months’ time, was hospitalised since February 04, after the car he was driving had slammed into a utility pole.

Viewing of Persaud’s body took place at the Guyana Police Force ground at 08:35hrs, after it arrived in a brown casket carried by a black hearse from the Merriman Funeral Home.

The facility was packed with senior ranks of the Guyana Police Force. Conducting the funeral service was the Force’s Chaplin, who ironically is the person who had conducted the marriage ceremony when Persaud had married his now widow; had baptised Persaud, and had also offered Persaud’s two youngest children up to the Lord a few years ago.

It came as a surprise to many in the gathering when the pastor mentioned that he had baptised Persaud, as they could be heard saying “What?”

SINCE CHILDHOOD
In his remarks at the funeral service, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud spoke of knowing Balram Persaud since childhood days, as they had attended the same primary school and later the same high school.

It would be several years later when they again met each other during their earlier days in the Guyana Police Force.

The Top Cop remarked that the now dead officer would always deal with concerns in a professional manner, and even in times of great distress, Balram Persaud would find something funny to say in an effort to ease the tension.

The Commissioner of Police remembered Balram Persaud as a good man, whose soul he wished would rest in peace, as he proclaimed that Persaud would be remembered for a long time.

Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine, who now holds the portfolio that Persaud held up to the time of his death, explained that Balram Persaud chose to be a police officer.

ALWAYS HELPFUL
He remarked that during his first days, weeks and months in the Guyana Police Force, there were lots of things he did not know, and it was Balram Persaud who had taught him many of the things he knows today.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan noted that it was an extremely sad occasion. He reminisced on when he was first sworn in as Minister of Public Security, saying that Balram Persaud, who was once his client, called him and asked, “Bro, you know what you go to do?”

He said Persaud was one of the persons within the organisation who were willing to share information with him, while there are those who exhibited a reluctance to do so.

The Minister said Persaud would often tell him that he was soon going, in reference to his pending retirement.

Ramjattan said Balram Persaud was the kind of person who would not have wanted persons to mourn his death, but rather celebrate his life. He, too, hailed Balram Persaud as a good man.

Meanwhile, widow of the former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cantina Persaud, said she was very grateful for the support that she, her children and the rest of Persaud’s family had received from the Commissioner of Police and his staff during this difficult time.

After the ceremony at the Police Sports Club ground, six Assistant Commissioners of Police — Clifton Hicken, Christopher Griffith, Paul Williams, Leslie James, Nigel Hoppie and Dale Alves — assisted by David Ramnarine, bore the casket of their fallen colleague to the hearse, as several senior police officers lined their path.

The procession then made its way to the East Bank carriageway and crossed the Demerara Harbour Bridge for the final journey to the cremation site at Rumzeight.
At the site, several persons gathered to get a glimpse of the remains of the late senior police officer. Among them were former President Donald Ramotar and former senior police officers such as Neil Semple, Leroy Brumell and George Vyphuis.