THE first time young Vishnu Bhim was taken to school by Ravindra Deo, a total stranger, was the last time he had been seen alive.

It became an incident that gripped the nation, much like the Neesa Gopaul murder, and drew condemnation from ever quarter of society.

Just 8 years old, and the only child and darling of his adoring parents, Chaimwatie and Heerlall Bhim, Vishnu Bhim was kidnapped by Ravindra Deo and was brutally murdered, his killer dumping his body in a trench in a secluded area at La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara.

Vishnu Bhim had gone missing for days before his body was eventually found in a swollen and decomposed state, located after Ravindra Deo had been caught on America Street, Georgetown a few days after committing the heinous crime.

Following intense grilling at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, Deo confessed to the brutal murder, and led detectives to where he had dumped the remains of the school boy.

This heart-breaking incident happened in late November 1994, but it has not been erased from national memory. In fact, memory of the murder was recently revived when President Donald Ramotar offered a presidential pardon to Ravindra Deo in his last days in office. The former President’s decision has not found favour with many. Nevertheless, whether by a stroke of pure luck or otherwise, child killer and condemned convict Ravindra Deo is now a free man.

But the hearts of young Vishnu Bhim’s parents bleed, as they feel that justice has been derailed despite their agonised cry for its application, their resolute efforts to ensure justice for their dead son, and a solemn promise from no less a person than the venerable President Dr Cheddi Jagan that justice would be served. Their beloved Vishnu was snatched from them, but his killer is allowed to walk the streets of neighbourhoods and communities as a free man.

Were Vishnu Bhim alive today, he would have been 29 years old and probably living his dream of becoming a doctor, lawyer, or businessman like his father. Regrettably, his life came to a gruesome end 21 years ago.

DEEP DISPLEASURE
Deo Babulall, a neighbour and family friend of the Bhims, remembers the sad day of that tragedy. Before recalling what happened, he noted his deep displeasure at the decision of former President Donald Ramotar to pardon this particular convict. According to Babulall, the action of former President Ramotar is akin to a man who lacks a heart for justice, and probably has lost the common touch with the people.

“For Ramotar to understand how wrong that decision was he has to place himself in the position of the (Bhim) family. If somebody had done that to his son or grandson, would he forgive them?” Babulall asked.

He stressed that the murderer had tried to hide, but was caught, tried, convicted and condemned to execution. On December 4, 1995, Deo was found guilty of kidnapping and murder, and was sentenced to death by Justice Claudette Singh.

Vishnu’s funeral had attracted thousands, and Babulall said he had been relaxing in a hammock under his home when the Guyana Chronicle visited, and the then President Dr Cheddi Jagan was among the gathering of mourners.

He recalled Dr Jagan promising the Bhim family that justice would be served. He said Dr Jagan might be “turning in his grave”, as Ramotar has effectively reversed his decision.

During the interview, Babulall’s wife, who was next to him, was painstakingly going through a huge pile of photographs, trying to locate those with Vishnu, on learning that the story would be published in our Sunday edition.
Babulall related that Heerlall, Vishnu’s father, was like a brother to him, and that Vishnu had literally grown up with his children.

He recalled that Heerlall and other friends would frequently come over at his home for drinks and a good gaff in the afternoon after work and on weekends.
Heerlall used to operate a joinery shop downstairs of his two-storeyed house, a business he held for about 15 years, until he decided to pack up and leave soon after his son’s death.

REQUESTED A JOB
Babulall recollected that Deo had gone to Heerlall requesting a job, telling Heerlall that he needed money to go to a wedding.

According to Babulall, Heerlall did not only give Deo a job, but asked him to take his son to school; which he did, but by midday of the same day, Deo had left the job and was nowhere to be found.

On that day, Vishnu did not return from school, and soon after, a million-dollar ransom was demanded for his safe return.

Babulall said that he, Heerlall, and several other friends formed a search party and scoured every area in Annandale and in the neighbouring villages for the boy, but to no avail. They visited the homes of suspects, accompanied by police; and while all of those suspects had been at home, none of them appeared to have committed the gruesome act.

And when they visited the home of Deo, he was not there. Several other visits were made and the result was the same. On one of those visits, they found a muddied pair of jeans reportedly worn by Deo; that was the only possible sign of his continued presence in the village they saw.

Then one day during the search, Babulall said, Heerlall received a call from a police inspector, requesting that he visits the Cove and John Police Station.
However, when Heerlall and his friends got there, the inspector was in a meeting and, unable to wait until that meeting finished, they went to a cambio dealer who operates on America Street, who had also requested a meeting with them.

When they got to the America Street location, the cambio dealer was in the middle of a transaction, and they had to wait outside.

CUFFS AND KICKS
While waiting outside, sipping on lemonade, Heerlall spotted Deo and the men pounced on him, but only managed to give him “a few cuffs and kicks”, Babulall told this publication.
This happened, he said, because people nearby intervened; but when they got to know that the man getting the blows was a wanted child killer, they urged them to “kill him!” Police on routine patrol saw the commotion and came to the scene. They arrested Deo and asked Heeralall and his friends to report to Police Headquarters, Eve Leary.

Babulall recalled that they were prepared to let Deo go since, during the beating, he claimed innocence of the murder of Vishnu; but they changed their minds after Deo told the police that he had $3000 on his person when a closer check by the lawmen found $17,000.
CONDOMS AND CAMERA
The policemen also found on Deo a few condoms and a camera. Following intense grilling, Deo finally admitted that he had indeed killed the school boy. He then led detectives to the spot where he had dumped the body.

Vishnu’s body was found in a trench in the LBI Backdam. It was in a decomposed state, with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. The post-mortem report revealed that the boy had been strangled.

Deo was tried, convicted and sentenced to death. But before the day of execution, his attorneys filed an ex-parte injunction preventing Deo from being hanged. After some years in prison, Deo’s sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. He had implicated a man he called “Kresho” in the murder, but the police never found the man whom he claimed lived in Mahaicony.

Unable to bear the agony of the gruesome loss of their only child, Heeralall and his wife closed their joinery shop and departed Guyana. They have been living in Florida, USA ever since.

The Chronicle has made several unsuccessful attempts to contact them, but media reports are that they have expressed deep shock at the decision to pardon the convicted child killer. They had heard that Deo would be freed, but on checking with a senior government official of the former administration, Heeralall had reportedly been told that the claim was a rumour. Much to their surprise, the rumour recently turned out to be a sordid fact.

Having investigated, this newspaper has learnt that Deo’s family no longer lives in LBI, but at Lusignan.

NO ONE HOME
On a visit to the Deo home, we saw the gates padlocked and no one was there. Neighbours told this publication that an old woman lives in the house, but she is seldom at home.

Former President Ramotar’s decision came as a surprise to many, since, under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, numerous laws were passed to protect children and safeguard their welfare.

In another section of the media, President of the Guyana Bar Association, Mr Ronald Burch-Smith, said that while it was well within Ramotar’s purview because he was President of the country at the time of the pardon, the decision should not have been made at the expense of what is morally correct.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Coalition for Children, in a statement, also knocked the decision to free the convicted child killer.

“The Guyana Coalition for Children is saddened and appalled to learn of former President Donald Ramotar’s pardoning of Ravindra Deo, the killer of eight-year-old Vishnu Bhim, the only child of his parents, (and) from the Annandale Community, East Coast Demerara.

“Ravindra Deo already had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. Today, he is free to live how he wishes. On the other hand, innocent eight-year-old Vishnu is dead; his parents and family will never see his potential realised, and our society has been robbed of his contribution,” the organisation said.

It also noted that too many adults in society have contributed to the abuse of children and/or stood by silently while children were abused and violated, most often by someone they know and love.

“The Guyana Coalition for Children reiterates that all forms of child abuse can be prevented. The abuse of children must not be tolerated, and abusers of children must receive the full penalties the law attaches to this heinous crime.

“The Guyana Coalition for Children calls on our new government to place children’s issues at the heart of developing Guyana, and to address this injustice without any delay,” the statement concluded.

By Tajeram Mohabir