AAP MLA Pathanmajra Escapes Police Custody Amid Violence

Patiala, Sep 3 (PTI) — AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra is still at large a day after escaping police custody amidst gunfire and stone-pelting by his supporters, following his arrest in a rape case.

According to police sources, efforts are ongoing to apprehend Pathanmajra. He is a first-time MLA who fled from custody after police attempted to arrest him at a relative's residence in Dabri village, Karnal district, Haryana.

Pardeep Bajwa, the officer in charge of the Patiala Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), detailed the incident on Tuesday, saying, "We conducted a raid at Pathanmajra's relative's residence in Haryana. He was taken into custody, but a group of villagers and some unruly elements began pelting stones and firing gunshots at the police team."

The Sanour MLA took advantage of the chaos created by the gunfire and stone-pelting to make his escape. Pathanmajra and his supporters fled in two SUVs, a Scorpio and a Fortuner. A policeman attempting to stop the vehicles was injured when struck by one of them. Balwinder Singh, an accomplice of Pathanmajra, was arrested with three weapons in his possession. Police later seized the Fortuner, though Pathanmajra managed to escape in the other vehicle.

An FIR registered at the Civil Lines police station on September 1 names Pathanmajra with charges including rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation. The FIR was filed based on a complaint from a woman based in Zirakpur. She alleges Pathanmajra misrepresented himself as divorced, engaged in a relationship with her, and married her in 2021, despite already being married.

The complainant further accuses him of ongoing sexual exploitation and threats. Pathanmajra went live on Facebook on Tuesday, sharply criticizing the Punjab government and accusing the Delhi-based AAP leadership of illegitimately ruling over Punjab. He urged fellow party MLAs to support him, asserting that unlike during Congress or BJP governments, AAP's central leadership was interfering in state matters.

On Sunday, Pathanmajra accused a senior IAS officer of ignoring his repeated pleas for river desilting and cleanup, particularly concerning the Tangri river. However, AAP leader Baltej Singh Pannu countered on Tuesday, suggesting that Pathanmajra's focus on flooding issues arose only after he became aware of impending police action based on the woman's allegations.

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