In a shocking turn of events, a Punjab MLA who has been accused in a rape case has escaped from police custody after firing at the policemen and driving over a cop. The MLA and his staff are now being chased by the authorities, who had escaped in two cars — a Scorpio and a Fortuner.
AAP MLA from Sanour Harmeet Pathanmajra was arrested in Karnal early today. During transportation to the police station in the local area, Pathanmajra and his attendants reportedly fired at the police squad. When a police official tried to halt them, they ran him over and fled in two SUVs. Police later stopped the Fortuner, but the MLA was traveling in the other SUV and is still on the run. At least three weapons were seized from the Fortuner.
Pathanmajra is accused of rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation. The FIR was registered after a woman accused him of cheating her by saying he was divorced and that he was in a relationship with her. She has accused sexual exploitation, threatening her, and sharing obscene material.
The complainant, 45 and divorced, has a daughter who is abroad, the FIR says. She started dating Pathanmajra, who represented that he was divorced, in about 2013. The duo, according to reports, got married at a gurdwara in Ludhiana in 2021. In 2022, however, when Pathanmajra stood against the state elections from Sanour, she came to know that he had mentioned his first wife in his affidavit. The MLA allegedly coerced her, repeatedly assuring her that he would divorce his first wife.
Earlier, Pathanmajra had faulted his party's response to floods in Punjab. Subsequently, after the FIR, he took to Facebook Live and escalated his attack against the Punjab government under Bhagwant Mann. He accused the AAP leadership in Delhi of "illegitimately ruling Punjab" and sought the support of other party MLAs. "They can lodge FIRs against me, I can stay in jail, but my voice cannot be suppressed," he stated.
The MLA also asserted his security was revoked following his criticism of the party regime. "I had already told my gunmen yesterday that they would be sent back. The Delhi leaders (of AAP) think they can scare me with vigilance (action) or FIRs, but I will never bow down. I will stand like a rock with my people," he said. Earlier, Pathanmajra had said the state government should listen to people, or they "will thrash us".
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