PASTOR Narine Kubhlall, the key victim of the carnage in ‘C’ Field Sophia, following the close of polls on Monday last, yesterday along with his wife, children and relatives returned to the Lot 588 premises under heavy police guard to salvage whatever household items remained.The Guyana Chronicle was at the scene when the Khublalls arrived during the afternoon, by which time a small group had already been assembled for some time outside of the premises where burnt-out shells of a number of vehicles also lay waste.

POLICE GUARD
The platoon of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ranks that had been manning a perimeter cordon around Pastor Kubhlall’s badly damaged property was by this time removed, while a few ranks of the

Guyana Police Force remained on the premises.
Despite a brief exchange of words with those gathered at the scene, the Khublalls managed to recover whatever household items remained following the looting and fires on Monday evening.
Pastor Narine, a long standing member of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), has since February of this year, allowed his property to be transformed into the party’s Command Centre for the district.
On Monday last, following rumours that his house was being used as an illegal polling station, an angry mob descended on the location eventually torching a number of vehicles leading to a standoff with ranks of the Security Services.
UNITY/PEACE
During an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, the still somewhat distraught Pastor Narine, did express hope that he could one day return to the place he once called home.
Returning yesterday for the first time since the mayhem on Monday evening, Pastor Khublall told the Guyana Chronicle, “I really want to go back to live [in Sophia].”
According to Pastor Khublall, “I still love the people in Sophia and I pray for unity and peace.”
He urged restraint and calm on the part of all, saying despite “whoever wins these elections, we can work together for peace because that’s the change that we need.”
He said people must respect the rule of law and be obedient.

Recounting the events that led to Monday night’s carnage, Pastor Khublall said he has lived at the same place for the past 18 years and currently live there with his wife, adopted son and daughter.
The staunch PPP/C supporter said over the years he has never had a dispute with any of his neighbours over his or their political affiliation.
“During the time I lived there for 18 years my neighbours and I, we had a very good relationship,” said Pastor Khublall.
COMMAND CENTRE
The Elections Command Centre, according to Khublall,was established at the beginning of February, a fact known to all the residents in the community, “that my office there will be used for constituency number five.”
The purpose of the PPP/C Sophia Command Centre was to recruit and train party polling agents, he explained.
Pastor Khublall said, persons recruited and trained at the Command Centre were responsible for party work on Election Day at some 30 polling stations across the constituency.
They, the trained polling day staff, “would represent the party’s interest, the PPP/C’s interest in the elections.”
He told the Guyana Chronicle another of the duties of the polling-day party staff recruited and trained at the Command Centre, would be assisting party comrades with tasks such as verifying names on the Official List of Electors and assigning polling station locations, among other frequently asked questions.
The Command Centre would have also served as the central location for the provision of ancillary services for the polling day staff, such as the provision of meals and snacks and other refreshments.
PINK & WHITE MINIBUS
On Election Day, Pastor Khublall, recalled for the Guyana Chronicle, “things were going very smoothly at all polling stations across the constituency.”

This changed for the worse from about 16:00hrs, he said. According to Pastor Khublall, a pink and white minibus stopped outside of the residence and the person exiting the vehicle “said this house here has ballot boxes.”
PPP/C member, Joseph Hamilton, who also served as Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary during the course of the 10th Parliament, was at the scene at the time, given his responsibility for the constituency.
Pastor Khublall, reported that the individual who pulled up with the pink and white minibus is known to Hamilton as an ex-policeman, who was told the premises did not house any ballot boxes.
He said approximately 15 minutes later another minibus pulled up, this time with a load of persons that disembarked and joined in querying whether ballot boxes were being housed at the location.
According to the Pastor, a group of high- profile Opposition members made their way to the location and interacted with the crowd before making their way into the building.
Pastor Khublall identified Jerome Khan and Nigel Hughes as among the high- profile Opposition members visiting the location
Khublall said the men also enquired whether the building was being used as a command centre to which he responded in the affirmative.
CHRISTIAN TRUTH
Pastor Khublall said he told the men, “I am a Christian and I deal with the truth.” He said, he allowed the men to search the entire property to satisfy themselves that there were no ballot boxes on the premises.
“They were satisfied that nothing was found as was claimed, that ballot boxes were not being stored there and they were also satisfied also that the Command Centre was never used as an illegal polling station.”
The representatives, he said, reported back to the converging group of persons outside the building that there were no ballot boxes being stored on the location and they should disperse.
“They refused to vacate the premises,” according to Pastor Khublall. He said too, around the close of poll around 18:00hrs, the Opposition Leader Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, “came and Granger left within 20 minutes.”
Pastor Khublall, has since claimed that it was shortly after Granger left the location “there is where the problem start.”
BRICKS & BOTTLES
He said it was at this time that bottles began to be hurled at his house and he has since heard that bottles were being brought to the location, along with stones, in the trunks of cars.
“The pelting came as a storm,” Pastor Khublall said. He described volleys of glass missiles being rained on his home.
“From east to west to north to south, right around they were bricks and bottles, bricks and bottles, bricks and bottles,” said a still visibly shaken Pastor Khublall.
When the commotion began, he said, “what we did, we try to put everyone at the back of the building hiding under the shed.”
Pastor Khublall said he then secured his wife and family in his office.
CHANNA BOMBS & GUNSHOTS
He said “when they finish at the front, they came at the back and start pelting.”

It was at this time, Khublall recalled that three ‘channa bombs’ (Molotov Cocktails) were hurled.
“When they throw the three channa bombs I took my firearm and discharged two rounds in the air and I believe that is what kept them from throwing more channa bombs,” said Khublall.
Khublall, said things quickly escalated from bad to worse as he heard “gunshots start surround de place.”
He said the looting then began and his building was ransacked by identifiable persons and he has since provided the police with the names.
According to Khublall, by this time the vehicles that had been parked outside of his home were set ablaze.
MORE FIRE
“The fire tender was coming in to help us but what they did they turn back the fire tender, they broke the fire tender glass, they became rebellious, they stop the fire tender from coming in, they even threaten the fire officers if they come into Sophia what they gonna do them,” he recalled.
Recounting the horrific events of Monday night, Pastor Khublall told the Guyana Chronicle, while the vehicles were burning, they also observed a young child, not yet a teenager, pouring an accelerant, kerosene on the utility pole outside of his home.
“He even asked and say I done soak, where is de match,” Khublall recounted.
The Pastor said by this time they had managed to connect a water pump and started to douse the pole, saving it in the process.
The angry mob, he said, then turned on his neighbour and proceeded to destroy their fence, “they pull down the fence.”
He recalled that at this point there was another volley of “bricks and bottles.” His neighbour’s home was also looted and had to return under police protection yesterday to salvage whatever remained.
10 NAMES
“I supplied to the police 10 names of persons that if they get these 10 names they will solve all the issues,” said Khublall, as he insisted the carnage was perpetrated by persons known to him in the community.
He said by the time the police arrived on Monday evening, the crowd had already numbered in the hundreds and proved to be too much for the ranks.
CONTEMPLATING
Khublall, told the Guyana Chronicle, at about 01:30hrs the Tuesday morning, Tactical Service Unit (TSU) ranks arrived on the scene along with a number of soldiers, but when they attempted to disperse the crowd, “they [the crowd] became rebellious.”
He said the ranks were forced to discharge a number of rounds in the air “and keep them [crowd] at bay from the building [PPP/C Command Centre].”
The police ranks did manage to arrest a number of persons following the carnage in ‘C’ Sophia, in the elections- related violence that erupted, some of whom have been charged and placed before the courts.
Khublall said he had to be escorted by police ranks away from the scene, seeking refuge at a relative, now left to contemplate his next move.

Pull Quote: “I still love the people in Sophia and I pray for unity and peace, whoever wins these elections, we can work together for peace because that’s the change that we need, people must respect the rule of law and be obedient,” Pastor Khublall

By Gary Eleazar