Police find stolen radio station equipment; Sat claims politics behind vandalism

Police find equipment stolen from Radio Jagriti. Express photo

A joint police and army patrol on Wednesday recovered valuable electronic equipment believed to be stolen from the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha’s (SDMS) Jagriti radio station. 

The Maha Sabha's general secretary Sat Maharaj praised the Police Service for the speedy recovery of the equipment. And at the same time he suggested that politics was behind the vandalism and robbery at the Hindu radio station.

"I believe it was politically motivated. We are the only media station to come out in vocal support of the Government," The Express newspaper quoted Maharaj as saying.

"Remember, nobody gave us a licence, we got our licence from the Privy Council, not from any government. This station was born out of struggle, born out of politics,” he said. 

The Maha Sabha had to take the government of Trinidad and Tobago to court for refusing to grant the Hindu organisation a broadcast licence. The matter was finally settled at the Privy Council.Maharaj said the station recently launched a talk programme on Tuesdays and Thursdays which commented on articles in the mainstream media, showing bias against the government. 

Maharaj told local media three armed men entered the building where the radio station is located. Two of them held the two security officers at gunpoint and the third person moved the station's equipment into a waiting vehicle. Maharaj estimated the value of the stolen equipment at a quarter million dollars.

On Wednesday Insp Sahadeo Singh of the Besson Street Police Station told the media officers recovered the equipment in Beetham after a joint police and army team noticed what he called "suspicious behaviour" by two men in a grey pick-up.

Singh told the Express police investigated and found the station's name on some of the equipment, which they took to the police station.