Library assistant, student fracas in police hands

Library assistant Ravelle Rajcoomar-Harinarine stayed away from the Rio Claro West Secondary School for the second day yesterday after being allegedly beaten by a gang of female students last Thursday.

The mother of one, who is assigned to the school as a Library Assistant 1, in an interview with the T&T Guardian last week, expressed concern for her life claiming she was mercilessly beaten by one of the girls in a gang of Form III students.

When contacted yesterday the 29-year-old was hesitant to speak about the incident. She said she did not attend school but instead attended a meeting with her employer Nalis in Port-of-Spain.

She declined to speak further about last week’s alleged attack.

“They told me I’m not supposed to give information to the media. I was told I should not be speaking to the media. I have no further information to give,” said Rajcoomar-Harinarine.

Yesterday Rajcoomar-Harinarine’s husband Christopher, when contacted, said it was his wife’s decision to make on whether she would speak about the incident any further.

Last week Rajcoomar-Harinarine told the T&T Guardian she and two OJTs were attacked by the students after they complained to the principal Reynold Sibaran the students were misbehaving in the library during the lunch break. 

She said the principal banned the students from the library. 

The library assistant said the students waited for her and the OJTs to leave the principal’s office and pounced on them.

She said she was pushed to the ground, kicked, cuffed and dragged by the hair by one of the girls while the other two girls pushed the OJTs and restrained them from helping her.

Yesterday the Rio Claro police said an investigation has been launched.

However they declined to admit to whether the students involved had been interviewed.

Yesterday Principal Sibaran also declined to comment on the incident, nor did he want to say whether any follow-up action was taken.

He said an investigation into Rajcoomar-Harinarine’s alleged beating is on-going.

“We cannot give any information to the press. The matter is still being investigated. It is not complete. We are not allowed to give any information to the media. If you need any information you can contact the communications department at the Ministry of Education,” Sibaran said.

Inquiries are continuing into the allegations.