Student killed in Barishal RAB shooting had no drug link, claims family

A college student was killed and an SSC candidate was seriously injured on Tuesday (21 April) in what the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) claims was an anti-drug operation in Agailjhara upazila of Barishal.

However, family members, local residents, and police records contradict RAB's claims, saying neither of the youths had any prior involvement with drugs.

The deceased, Siam Molla, was a first-year college student at Karfa Ideal College, and the injured, Rakib Molla, was appearing for his SSC exams. Contrary to RAB's allegation that Rakib is a "notorious drug dealer," none of the two young men, who were cousins, have any prior criminal records in Agailjhara, Gournadi, or Uzirpur police stations.

Agailjhara Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Oliul Islam confirmed there were no prior cases against the two youths. He added that RAB had filed two separate cases and that operations were ongoing to arrest the listed suspects.

According to the birth registration documents, Siam was only 16 years old, although the hospital records noted his age as 22. Rakib on the otherhand is 17. Their families maintain that neither used nor dealt in drugs.

The incident occurred on Monday (21 April) evening near a tea stall at the Jora Bridge area in Mollahpara, close to the border of Agailjhara and Uzirpur.

Eyewitnesses say that two men in T-shirts were dragging a local youth while shouting "thief, thief." Locals intervened and demanded to know the identity of the men. When an argument escalated, one of the two drew a pistol and opened fire. Siam died on the spot, and Rakib, hit by bullets, fell into a nearby canal.

Later, uniformed RAB-8 officers arrived at the scene. However, locals' accounts suggest they came much after the shooting. Residents report that both Siam and Rakib were merely bystanders during the incident.

The day after the shooting, yesterday (22 April), RAB-8 Deputy Assistant Director Sheikh Riazul Islam filed a case with Agailjhara police, naming Siam and Rakib along with 15 unidentified persons.

Repeated attempts by reporters to get comments from RAB-8 proved unsuccessful. No responses were received from their media cell or official numbers.

Siam's cousin Meem Akhter stated, "Siam was home all day. In the evening, he went out with Rakib to have tea. Later, we heard Siam is dead and Rakib was shot. RAB is calling them drug users, but they were students, never been involved in such things."

Rakib's friend Hossain Ali added, "We took our SSC exam together that morning. In the evening, I heard he had been shot. The accusations against them are false."

The incident has triggered panic in the surrounding areas. Villages like South Mollapara in Agailjhara and Baheghat in Uzirpur have seen a mass exodus of men fearing arrest. Women, children, and the elderly say many families, including students preparing for exams, have fled.