POLICE Sergeant Shivram Murugayya, charged on Monday with DUI driving of an unlicensed motor vehicle, appeared before Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate, Ms. Adela Nagamootoo, pleaded “not guilty” to both charges, and was placed on bail to return to court on January 14, 2014.

Last Sunday, at about 14:40 hrs, allegedly driving DUI, Sergeant Murugayya struck down an 11-year-old boy who was attempting to cross the Tuschen Public Road, East Bank Essequibo, and drove away from the scene of the accident, failing to render assistance to the victim.
Public-spirited citizens chased and cornered the fleeing cop at Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, and handed him over to the police.
Police confirm that a breathalyzer testing had determined that Muruguyya, a member of the Guyana Police Force, was over the legal limit in terms of consumption of alcohol.
Commenting on the accident, a senior police officer told the Guyana Chronicle that the action of the rank involved is most ‘lawless’, and he should not have been driving whilst he had that amount of alcohol in his system. The officer deemed Murugayya’s behaviour most atrocious, especially because police personnel should lead by exemplary conduct. He said, “Imagine you’re a police and you driving drunk, hit a child and drove away.”
The GPF Traffic Department, in wake of the staggering road fatality record, has adopted a no-nonsense approach to defaulters, including drunk drivers; and presently has a campaign, dubbed “Road Order”, to restore some order on our roadways.