SEVENTEEN-year-old Bhojpaul Ramjas called “Dave”, who is recovering from a near-death experience several years ago, is now hoping that he can return to
school and put the past behind him.
Ramjas was bullied, beaten and forced to climb a utility pole, where he was ordered to touch a live wire by a group of boys he considered his “friends”.
The aftermath of that episode saw him spending more than 800 days at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) confined to a bed, unable to walk and suffering excruciating pain.
At the time, he was just 12 years old and had attained passes to attend the Skeldon High School, after sitting the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).
Ramjas is recuperating after several surgeries in the US, thanks to the intervention of Saving Hands Emergency Aid (SHEA), a non-governmental organisation.
While he has not yet fully recovered, he is relatively back to normalcy and can do almost anything with very little discomfort. He still has a few more minor surgeries that must be done before he is 21.
Dave is seeking assistance to see if he can return to the public school system or a private school where he can get a formal education.
“I want to go back to school so that I can get a job; I want to work so I can get money to buy things for myself because my family has done a lot for me and it is not really fair for me to depend on them cause I get big now,” he said.
The humble young man said if he cannot get a chance to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, he would like to learn a trade that would not be too strenuous on him.
The teen’s mother, Nalini Ragnauth, had related that her son’s misery happened after he went to the backlands for a day of fun with four friends, when a guy identified as “Kuvesh”, four years Ramjas’ senior, reportedly got aggressive with him.
Kuvesh reportedly dealt him several blows about the body and forced him to climb a GPL utility pole and touch the live wire.
Soon after, his shirt and pants were on fire and the other ‘friends’ with him pushed him into a nearby trench to quench the flames as he screamed for dear life.
The bully, instead of assisting, fled the scene and never showed up to apologise or check on the victim to see how he was doing.
At the New Amsterdam Hospital, Ragnauth said she was advised by the doctors to make a report since the pre-teen was in a critical state.
She said she made the journey back to Corentyne to the Number 51
Police Station and gave a detailed account of what happened and provided the name and description of the attacker. Sadly, she said nothing ever came out of the matter. The attacker is reportedly now residing overseas.
“The matter never went to court. The police call he to the station and then them release him, now he living in America and walking free. Whatever has happened, I leave my trust in God, everyone has their time that’s gonna reach because how I feel for my child, no one should ever have to see their child suffer so much,” the mother said.
