“Forgive Daddy, Sham, it was an accident.” This was the plea of Seeta Siewnarine to her dead brother, Sham Siewnarine, as she bid farewell to him during his funeral service yesterday. Sham, 28, died on Sunday night at his home at Gopie Trace, Penal, after being stabbed by his father during an altercation.
Police confirmed they had been called several times to the home to deal with reports that Sham was abusing his parents and on Mother’s Day there was another domestic fight, this time resulting in a fatality. His father, Krishna Ramlal, a 60-year-old retiree, who has been in police custody since the incident, was brought to the house in handcuffs by police officers to bid farewell to his only son.
Ramlal remained seated in a chair on the front porch less than ten feet away from his son’s coffin surrounded by four plainclothes police officers. Relatives who swarmed around him, were allowed to speak to him for several minutes before being warned off by the officers.
The man wept openly throughout the service and was allowed to view his son’s body for a few minutes before it was taken away. He did not speak but put his two hands on his head and wept. Before being taken away by the officers, he spoke briefly with his wife, Flora Siewnarine, and his only surviving child, Seeta.
The couple had three children together. Their eldest daughter, Sandra, died five years ago after contracting pneumonia. Seeta, who spoke briefly, said she hoped her brother meets Sandra in the afterlife.
“Sham I hope you meet Sandra and you are happy now. Whenever my time comes, I will meet you guys... wait for me, ok,” she said.
“I just want to say goodbye. The last time I saw him was three months ago. I can’t believe he is gone, I can’t tell him I love him or mess up his hair, which was my favorite thing to do,” she said.
She described her brother as a “good boy” and someone who was loved by many.
“Sham was a good boy, don’t mind he used to drink and get on stupid... anybody ask Sham to do anything, Sham would always do it for them.” She broke down in tears begging for forgiveness for her father and lamenting that she is the only surviving sibling.
“Look how my sister and brother gone and I remain by myself and now what will happen to my father?” she asked.
“Sham, I hope you could forgive my father for what he did to you. It was an accident and he is so sorry... I think he is sorry. Forgive Daddy, Sham, he didn’t mean it, it was an accident,” she said.
Sham was cremated at the Shore of Peace, La Romaine. A police source yesterday said the elderly man had requested to be taken to the funeral and the officers of the Penal Police Station, where he has been kept in custody, had obliged.
The source said it may take another day for police to complete their investigations and for a file on the matter to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions who will determine whether charges should be laid.