Locals have allegedly snatched an activist of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) from police custody in Lalpur upazila of Natore district.
The incident took place on Saturday afternoon during a football match at the Bilmaria playground.
The freed man, Shahed Ali, is known to be an activist of the Bilmaria Union unit of BCL.
Witnesses said plainclothes cops from Lalpur Police Station detained Shahed at the playground and handcuffed him.
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As the news spread, hundreds of spectators surrounded the police, forcing them to release him.
A video showing the officers unlocking the handcuffs under pressure from the crowd later went viral on social media.
Officer-in-charge Rafiqul Islam of Lalpur Police Station described the incident as a ‘misunderstanding’ and declined to make further comments.