Thirty-eight-year-old Rajindra Balkaran, called ‘Gomes’, and his uncle Vishnu Gopaul, called ‘Strokeman’ and ‘Balbala’, a pork vendor at the Port Mourant Market, traded chops on Monday afternoon at Kitten Dam, Portuguese Quarters, Port Mourant Corentyne; and are now both hospitalized at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, with Gopaul being listed in critical condition.
Reports reaching this newspaper detail that Balkaran was under the influence of alcohol when he accused his uncle of being a “cochore”. After hurling several expletives at his uncle, Balkaran walked over to Gopaul’s donkey cart and pushed it into a nearby drain.
At that, Gopaul ran out of his yard with a cutlass. “Is the same cutlass he does use fuh cut meat,” one eyewitness said.
“The two of dem start to argue, and ‘Gomes’ (Balkaran) telling he that he is a cochore and Gopaul cussing he (Gomes),” an eyewitness offered.
The argument intensified, and Gopaul reportedly chopped his nephew several times to the upper body. Balkaran received chop wounds to his hands and neck, but was able to overpower and disarm his uncle, and he turned the weapon on the pork vendor. Gopaul received chops to the face, neck, chest and hands, and is reportedly in a critical condition at the New Amsterdam Hospital.
When the Police arrived, Gopaul was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Port Mourant Hospital, from whence he was transferred to the New Amsterdam facility. Balkaran has also been admitted a patient at the hospital.
Police are investigating the incident.
