A SUSPECTED  drug addict last Thursday created confusion and fear in the Charity market on the Essequibo Coast, attacking a vendor’s fruit and vegetable stall on the shoulder of the river defence dam near the New Guyana Marketing Centre Wharf with a cutlass.   Reports said the man armed with a sharp cutlass showed up at the market around 13:00hrs and headed straight to the stall owned by Mr Kissoondial Samdass.The man’s daughter-in-law Nora Lewis, who was sitting in the stall said  she saw the man approaching with a cutlass in his hand. She said a girl ran to the stall and  said”look a man coming with a cutlass,”and all of a sudden the suspected addict started to chop at all the fruits and vegetables.
Nora said she became terrified and shocked at what was taking place before her eyes. She said she feared for her life and her little children that were with her in the stall.According to Nora, the man first attacked the peppers that were on display. She said the man who appeared to be angry, then chopped pine- apples,cabbage,egg plants,limes,oranges and carrots.According to Nora, were it not for another seller known as ” Imran”who grabbed the man from behind and took away the cutlass  from him, she don’t know what would have happened to herself and small children.
She said more than $60,000 worth of fruits and vegetables were damaged by the man, who used the sea defence dam to escape.Nora said her husband who would normally be with her in the stall had just left to go out when the incident occurred.
Owner of the stall Mr Samdass said he believed that the attack was directed at him, because why would the attacker aim for his stall when there are many other persons selling fruits and vegetables along the same river dam. The businessman said probably somebody was trying to hurt himself and family at the stall.He said that he pays a rent for his stall at the Charity- Urasara NDC and there is no protection for vendors from such attacks. Mr Samdass also disclosed he has suffered such losses before and no one from the NDC has ever visited him to investigate what went wrong and how he could be compensated.
The businessman said he reported the matter to the Charity Police Station which is located a short distance from his stall and the man was arrested but subsequently released. Mr Samdass said he was surprised that the man was allowed freedom to roam the  market and chop up more fruits and vegetables that were for sale.The businessman said the man should be removed from the market area and sent to a rehabilitation centre.
Meanwhile, calls are being made for another man of unsound mind that lives in the market to be removed.

 
By Rajendra  Prabhulall