‘No Religious Claim Can Ever Justify Harm’

By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News |

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and a broad coalition of civil society organizations have issued an unreserved condemnation of the brutal killing of six-year-old Orlando Jaikarran, vehemently rejecting any attempt to link religious rites, spiritual consultations, or faith practices to acts of child abuse and filicide.

The organizations are demanding a thorough, unsparing police investigation and the imposition of the absolute harshest lawful penalties against everyone implicated in the child’s death.

The national outcry follows disclosures from Region Five detectives that the boy’s 45-year-old father, Bharrat Jaikarran, reportedly confessed to taking his son to the backlands of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, and tossing him into a drainage canal after consulting a local pujari who allegedly told him the six-year-old was not his biological offspring.

Orlando’s decomposed remains were retrieved from the canal in the early morning hours of Monday, October 19, following a missing-person search that ended in national grief.

‘A Violation of Humanity’: Dharmic Sabha Rebukes Spiritual Exploitation

In a strongly worded official statement issued on Wednesday, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha stated that it was horrified by the reported involvement of the child’s father and an individual acting under the mantle of a Hindu priest (pujari):

• Sanctity of Life in Hindu Philosophy: The Sabha emphasized that authentic Sanatan Dharma is anchored in the foundational tenets of Ahimsa (strict non-violence and non-harm) and profound reverence for all living beings.
• No Shield for Criminality: The organization declared that anyone who weaponizes religious authority or spiritual rituals to incite, counsel, or execute violence commits a profound violation of humanity that cannot be tolerated within the faith.
• Rejecting Charlatans and Exploitative Practices: The Sabha warned the Guyanese public against placing confidence in individuals who manipulate faith to exploit psychological distress, promote domestic hostility, or suggest harmful actions.

“No claim of religious authority, ritual or spiritual practice can justify cruelty, abuse or murder… Anyone who uses religion as a guise to commit or encourage such acts violates humanity. Such brutality has no place in the faith and must never be excused in the name of any religion.”

Dr. Vindhya Persaud: ‘No Suspicion Can Ever Justify Harming a Child’

President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, noted that the horrific nature of the six-year-old’s death has shaken the nation to its core, calling on every segment of society to take an uncompromising stand against child abuse:

• Unequivocal Societal Boundary: Dr. Persaud stated that neither domestic suspicion, personal insecurity, nor spiritual superstition can ever be offered as an excuse for hurting a defenseless minor.
• Uncompromising Legal Consequences: The Dharmic Sabha leader urged state prosecutors and law enforcement to ensure that all parties who contributed to the child’s demise—whether directly or through criminal incitement—face the full weight of the justice system.

“The child’s death has shaken us deeply. No belief, no suspicion, no claim of spiritual power can ever justify harming a child,” Dr. Persaud stated.

“We must be unequivocal as a society: this cruelty cannot be condoned, defended or concealed. The full force of the law must be applied and the harshest lawful penalties imposed on those found responsible.”

A Collective Duty to Protect the Vulnerable

Concluding its appeal, the Sabha urged citizens nationwide to unite in prayer for the soul of young Orlando Jaikarran, as well as for his surviving siblings and extended family, while transforming public grief into active community vigilance:

• Duty to Intervene: The Sabha reminded Guyanese that child protection is a shared societal duty that requires immediate reporting whenever a minor is placed in jeopardy.
• Standing With Mourners: Reaffirming solidarity with the devastated Bath Settlement community, the Sabha extended its condolences:

“The responsibility to protect children must be reflected in what we do—by speaking up, reporting danger and refusing to turn away when a child needs us. We stand with all who mourn Orlando. May his soul find eternal peace.”

The collective condemnation from civil society and religious leaders adds significant public weight to the ongoing police investigation, as detectives prepare to submit the homicide case docket to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for formal indictments.