Student drowns in river amid anti-drug drive

Stamford University Student Found Dead in Sherpur River After Search Operation

Thebangladaily.com – The body of Stamford University student Syed Sadman Joy, 22, was recovered from the Mrigi River in Sherpur on Sunday evening, nearly 26 hours after he disappeared during an anti-drug operation in the area.

A diving unit from Jamalpur Fire Service retrieved his body at about 6:30pm from Bhataraghat in Bhatshala Union, under Sherpur Sadar upazila. The recovery brought an end to an extended search by relatives, local residents, police and emergency personnel.

Student had been missing since Saturday

Joy was a second-year student in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Stamford University in Dhaka. He was the son of Ohedunni, also known as Makhon Mia, of Kurigram.

He had gone to the bank of the Mrigi River at Bhataraghat with a friend on Saturday afternoon. At the same time, a team from the Department of Narcotics Control was carrying out an anti-drug drive in the vicinity.

During that operation, Joy’s friend was arrested with drugs. The friend was later sentenced by a mobile court and sent to jail.

Family members said Joy became frightened after the drive began, fled from the area and jumped into the river. He did not return, prompting concern among relatives and people living nearby.

Search expanded after appeals for help

In the hours after Joy went missing, members of his family and local residents searched along the riverbank and in surrounding locations. As the search continued without success, the family sought assistance from police.

Police then contacted the Jamalpur Fire Service, which dispatched a diving team to Sherpur. The rescue operation began in the Mrigi River on Sunday afternoon.

After several hours of searching, divers located and recovered Joy’s body from the Bhataraghat area at around 6:30pm. The recovery took place almost 26 hours after he had first gone missing.

The case has drawn attention to the dangers facing people who enter or attempt to cross rivers in moments of panic. Even familiar riverbanks can become hazardous quickly, particularly when a person enters the water unexpectedly and without help nearby.

Body to be sent for autopsy

Following the recovery, police began the required legal procedures. Joy’s body was being prepared for transfer to the district headquarters hospital for an autopsy.

The post-mortem examination is part of the formal process that follows an unnatural death. It is intended to help authorities document the circumstances of the case and complete the necessary investigation.

Further legal action was under way after the body was recovered. Authorities had not publicly provided additional details on the incident beyond the sequence of events involving the anti-drug drive, the student’s disappearance and the subsequent search operation.

Joy’s death has left his family facing the loss of a young university student whose studies had brought him to Dhaka. His identification as a journalism and media studies student also places the tragedy within a wider academic community that may now be mourning the sudden death of one of its own.

Emergency response and public safety

The recovery operation highlighted the role of Fire Service diving teams in emergency incidents involving rivers and other bodies of water. Their work often begins after local searches have been unable to locate a missing person, especially where strong currents, deep water or poor visibility make an immediate search difficult.

For families in such situations, notifying emergency services as quickly as possible can help organize a more systematic response. Local residents may be the first to notice an incident or begin looking for a missing person, but trained divers and rescue personnel are equipped for searches that cannot safely be conducted from the riverbank.

The incident also unfolded in the context of a narcotics-control operation. Anti-drug drives can involve arrests and mobile court proceedings, but the disappearance of Joy turned the activity in Bhataraghat into a wider emergency response involving family members, police and fire service personnel.

As authorities proceed with the legal formalities, the key confirmed events remain clear: Joy went to the Mrigi River bank on Saturday afternoon, disappeared after the anti-drug drive began, and was found by the Jamalpur Fire Service diving team on Sunday evening.

The death of Syed Sadman Joy is a devastating outcome for his relatives, friends and fellow students. The recovery of his body has ended the search, while the autopsy and remaining legal procedures are expected to continue through the appropriate authorities.