Guyana Pandits Council and Minister condemn child killing

The Guyana Pandits Council and Human Services Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud have issued strong condemnations following the death of six-year-old Orlando Jaikarran in Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice. The Council categorically rejected attempts to link the killing to Hinduism, stating that violence against a child has no place in Sanatana Dharma and that religious titles must never serve as a shield for criminal conduct.

Minister Persaud denounced the use of religion and superstition to justify atrocities, calling the death a “monstrosity” and a “brutality beyond what any sensible mind can comprehend.” She called for a thorough investigation and the harshest legal penalties for those responsible.

Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the child's death after his decomposed body was recovered from a canal in the Waterloo area. Two men remain in custody, including the child’s father, Bharrat Jaikarran, and a religious practitioner known as a pujari. Investigators have seized six cutlasses and other items from a residence during the ongoing probe.