Punjab AAP MLA Escapes Custody in Violent Clash with Police

In a dramatic turn of events, Harmeet Pathanmajra, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Punjab’s Sanour constituency, fled police custody on Tuesday after his arrest on rape charges in Karnal, Haryana.

According to NDTV, Pathanmajra and his associates allegedly opened fire on a police team and ran over an officer while escaping in two SUVs—a Scorpio and a Fortuner. Authorities later recovered the Fortuner and seized three firearms from it, but the MLA, who was in the Scorpio, remains at large. Punjab Police have launched a manhunt to apprehend him.

The arrest stemmed from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by a 45-year-old divorced woman who claimed Pathanmajra misrepresented himself as divorced and began a relationship with her around 2013. The complainant, whose daughter lives abroad, said they married in a Ludhiana gurdwara in 2021. However, she later discovered Pathanmajra had listed his first wife in his 2022 election affidavit for the Sanour seat, prompting allegations of rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation under Sections 376, 420, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code.

Pathanmajra’s escape follows his public criticism of the AAP’s Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, over its handling of recent floods. In a Facebook Live session after the FIR was filed, he accused the party’s Delhi leadership of “illegitimately ruling over Punjab” and urged fellow MLAs to join him in protest. He claimed the charges were politically motivated, stating, “They can lodge FIRs against me, I can stay in jail, but my voice cannot be suppressed.”

The incident has sparked significant controversy, with police intensifying efforts to recapture the fugitive MLA. Authorities have not yet commented on the injured officer’s condition or the specifics of the ongoing pursuit.