A SMALL group of mourners bade farewell to nine-month-old Selieen Ramsaroop in Penal on Thursday.
However, a 30-year-old woman did not attend as she is still in police custody, having been held in connection with the baby's death.
Selieen's two brothers - Brandon, three, and Nandesh, seven - placed roses in the coffin which held her flower-covered body. The baby was dressed in pink with a matching headband. A doll was placed at her side in the coffin.
Near the coffin were five plain pink balloons and a multi-coloured one with the words, "You will be missed."
The funeral took place at Boysie Boodoo Funeral Home and Crematorium Ltd, at SS Erin Road in Penal. Like other mourners, the children's father Sunil Ramlal, performed aarti (a Hindu ritual).
A relative, Makeesha Boada, referred to Selieen who was born on January 10, as a beautiful angel with a bright and marvelous smile.
"She was very beautiful. God has sent an angel on this earth. It is heartbreaking that a child has lost her life before getting a chance to fully live," Boada told mourners.
Ramlal did not speak during the service, but his aunt Savitri Deochan made several allegations about a woman who is in police custody.
The baby was reportedly poisoned on September 21, while at a house in Busy Corner in New Grant.
An autopsy found that she baby died from pulmonary oedema, a condition caused by fluid build-up in the lungs. Investigators are still awaiting the results of a toxicology report.
Deochan also responded to social media critics of her nephew.
She said some people had accused him of being absent from the baby's life, a claim she stoutly denied.
"He was present. He has been very present. Maybe his words are a few at the moment, but that does not mean he is bad," Deochan said. She also responded to comments made via the media, by other relatives of the baby, denying again that Selieen had covid19.
The family, Deochan said, has received a lot of help "in dealing with this situation" from people including Boysie Boodoo of the funeral agency. She called for justice to be served.
The body was taken to the nearby Batchyia Cemetery for burial following the service.
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