By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE 31 persons including leaders of several groups who were allegedly involved in protest action at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Tuesday were granted $15,000 station bail by two Justices of the Peace (JP) after being charged with breaching the Public Health Regulations.
Among them are local government councillor for Aranguez/Warner Village Amit Sooknanan, corporate secretary of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea Gary Aboud, head of the First Wave Movement Umar Abdullah, and social media bloggers David Welch and Dinash Ragoo.
They are scheduled to appear virtually before the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court on January 3, 2022.
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service TTPS reported on Wednesday that the group was arrested and charged by Sgt (Ag) Bowen and PCs Marshall, Chaitu, Gangoo and Hypolite, of the Port-of-Spain Division, for gathering in excess of 10 in a public place. The arrested persons were later conveyed to the Woodbrook and St Clair Police Stations where they were charged and given station bail by JPs Stephen Young and Abraham Ali, respectively.
The TTPS stated that at 10 am on Tuesday, police officers responded to a report of a large gathering in the vicinity of the Paddock, QPS. Upon arrival at the location, police officers observed a group that appeared to be in excess of 100 people gathered in the area in what seemed to be an organised manner. No permission was granted for any type of protest at that location by the TTPS.
Officers of the Port-of-Spain Task Force, City Police, Criminal Investigations Department, Belmont and St. Clair Police Stations, Mobile Detention Unit and the Emergency Response Patrol were deployed to the scene.
Police officers, under the direction of acting Senior Superintendent of Police Port-of-Spain Terrance Nobbee, with assistance by Supt Kissoonlal, ASPs Sooker and Cumberbatch and Insps BainKeller, Knott and Rajkumar, attempted to use moral suasion on several occasions to disperse the crowd, however, attempts proved futile. Police later arrested several persons and subsequently dispersed the crowd.
The TTPS stated, “The TTPS is reminding citizens of the current Public Health Regulations which makes it illegal for persons to be gathered in excess of 10 in a public place and strongly advises citizens to desist from engaging in unauthorised public marches. Citizens are urged to take all necessary precautions as the nation is still battling the transmission of the Covid-19 virus and the TTPS is bound to take corrective action in the event of any suspected breaches of the law.”
