Dear Editor,

Shri Satyadeow Sawh was a dynamic and pure member of the Arya Samaj Movement. His wife Shrimattie Sattie Sawh is the Senior Vice-President of the Samaj. We the women of the Samaj join in solidarity with our distraught sister due to the great horror that was meted out to her and her family.

We are extremely angry at the assassination of Bhai Satyadeow Sawh and the gruesome massacre that took the lives of Bhai Rajpat Sawh, Bahen Pulmatie Persaud and Bhai Curtis Robertson which was executed in a deliberate manner. We extend the life energy of our souls to the Sawh and Roberston families. We also pray for the recovery of the wounded: Omprakash Sawh, Albert Mangra and Aga Khan.

We call upon all Guyanese to be responsible and arrest this senselessness because it would be a mistake to view Samaj endurance and patience as weakness and cowardice. Those who wish to know about the Samaj may wish to familiarize themselves with the role of Samaj in the great struggle for Independence in India.

We disagree with the statement of the police that the assassination of Satyadeo Sawh; the slayings of Rajpat Sawh, Pulmatie Persaud and Curtis Robertson and the wounding of the others were motivated by robbery.

We condemn the Com-missioner and the Police Force for the inability of the BV and Plaisance Police Stations to be accessible to receive a timely report of the massacre.

We condemn them for the BV Police Station not responding in a timely manner because the gun shots were heard at the BV Station whilst the incident occurred.

We condemn them for not setting up immediate road blocks to seek and apprehend the murderers as was done for others. We strongly condemn the police for seeking to divert attention from the nature of the murderers by clothing them in the disguise of robbers. From our information, we firmly believe that it was an act that was preconceived to assassinate the late minister.

We as citizens of Guyana, call upon the Honourable President and the Honourable Prime Minister to use the relevant powers of their offices to immediately set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate this massacre and the inadequate response of the police since in this instance they have failed in their constitutional mandate to protect their citizens.

We call on all of our fellow women, women's organ-isations and Guyanese brothers and sisters who stand for decency, honour and truth to start placing strong messages in the media in an effort to join in solidarity with our request.

Yours faithfully,

M Ramkhelwan

B Ramnaryan

C Bepat and 39 other women of the Arya Samaj