A handcuffed Awami League leader was snatched away from the police after attacking a police van at Osmani Nagar in Sylhet on Tuesday.

The arrestee is Aksar Ali, 45, the general secretary of the AL’s Pashchim Pailanpur union unit under the upazila, Osmani Nagar police station officer-in-charge Md Monayem Mia said.

He said that Askar’s relatives attacked the police van and snatched him away.

He said that Aksar, accused in several cases filed for opposing the student movement against discrimination in July-August, was arrested by a team of the police at Hajipur village under Osmani Nagar upazila Tuesday evening.

‘Immediately after receiving the news, relatives of the accused attacked the police van and snatched him away after vandalizing the vehicle,’ the police officer said.

‘A case was filed in this connection on Wednesday. Efforts are underway to identify the attackers by reviewing the video footage and arrest them as soon as possible,’ the police officer said.