Woman Police Constable (WPC) Rashma Sirjudeen and her infant son Rahul were given full military rites, including a 21-gun salute, as they were laid to rest yesterday, sharing the same casket. Rashma, 26, and Rahul, 13 months, died along with Rashma’s mother, Una Samkarran, in an accident along the M2 Ring Road, Debe, last Friday. Samkarran, 55, was buried on Tuesday, following a service at her home at Kent Street, Williamsville.
Rashma was praised in a service at the home of her estranged husband and Rahul’s father, Rakesh Sirjudeen, in Rookmineah Trace South, Lower Barrackpore, yesterday. The service was conducted under Hindu rites and officiated by Pundit Atma Maharaj. Rashma and Rahul were cremated together at the Shore of Peace cremation site, La Romaine, where scores of people gathered to witness the police band as they escorted the bodies to the funeral pyre.
Several top members of the T&T Police Service, including ACP Donald Denoon of the Southern Division, also attended the service. From as early as 8.30 am mourners packed tents at Sirjudeen’s home, spilling out into the roadway. By 9 am, the street leading to the house was blocked off. When the casket bearing both bodies was removed from the hearse, relatives had to support Rakesh as he seemed on the verge of collapsing. He did the last rites for his wife and child, placing garlands of flowers and perfume on the instructions of the pundit.
Reading the eulogy, Rashma’s cousin, Vanessa Ramoutar, described her as the perfect mother. “She was a great mother, never separated from her son and even though she recently went through some difficult times, she was still doing her best,” said Ramoutar. “They were inseparable in life... and in death.”
Ramoutar said her cousin, also known as Ria, was very ambitious. “Ria took advantage of every opportunity that came her way. She excelled in her CXC exams, her computer course, sewing and drapery. She had insisted she wanted to be a police officer and she also achieved that.” Senior Superintendent of the Southern Division, Irwin Hackshaw, also eulogised Rashma on behalf of the T&T Police Service.
“Many of us cannot even make sense of this loss, the life of an outstanding young woman, her beautiful son and her mother all in one accident. Rashma will always be remembered for her humbleness, compassion and selfless devotion to the TTPS,” said Hackshaw. He said after joining the TTPS in 2010, Rashma had quickly moved from general policing at the San Fernando Police Station to the Southern Division Task Force.
“She had an exuberance and zeal for the job that kept her moving forward. She was well respected and never tolerated lawlessness. Even though she had reached this far, she was not satisfied, she wanted to be a leader and a force to be reckoned with. “She never looked at her profession as work, she looked at it as her passion,” he added.
Also addressing mourners was Rashma’s spiritual adviser, Pundit Shastri Maharaj. Maharaj urged mourners to use Rashma’s death as a wake-up call. “I am urging you to remember all people are created equal and we must spend the time we have on this earth to leave a legacy, such as the one Rashma left. She was always quiet, humble and reserved,” he said.