Shortly after his arrest on rape charges, Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Sanaur in Patiala district, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, fled from police custody after firing at the personnel. The incident happened on Tuesday morning.
Patiala police told reporters that Pathanmajra was taken to the local police station after the arrest. The MLA’s accomplices accompanied the cops. On arrival at the station, the MLA and his henchmen opened fire at the police before fleeing in a Scorpio and Fortuner car.
A policeman is also said to have been injured after the MLA ran over him with his car. However, there are reports that police seized the Fortuner car.
Rape case
Pathanmajra, who had been at loggerheads with the AAP, was accused by his ex-wife of rape. The woman from Zirakpur alleged that the MLA misrepresented himself as divorced when he met her through social media in 2013-14. Eight years later, he organised Anand Karja. However, Pathanmajra was allegedly married to someone else.
She alleged that he sexually exploited her and sent threatening and “obscene” material to her.
On August 14, 2022, she also uploaded pictures of her wedding with the MLA on Facebook.
Following her complaint, the Zirakpur Police registered a case of rape against Pathanmajra. The MLA then went online to state that the AAP team from Delhi is trying to dominate Punjab and his voice was being suppressed, much to the chagrin of the state leadership. He also accused a enior IAS officer of not taking such actions as desilting and cleaning rivers, particularly the Tangri River, despite his requests.
Soon after, the state government withdrew the security detail given to Pathanmajra. He also accused that all station house officers and police post heads in his constituency had been transferred. “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.