Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Harmeet Singh Dhillon Pathanmajra, who represents the Sanour constituency, is at the centre of a major controversy after fleeing police custody on Tuesday. According to sources, Pathanmajra was being transported to a local station in Karnal when the situation turned violent. He and his aides allegedly opened fire at officers, leaving one policeman injured.

Amid the chaos, the MLA is said to have driven a vehicle over another officer before escaping in a Scorpio SUV. A Toyota Fortuner used during the incident has since been seized by the authorities. A large-scale manhunt is currently underway to trace his whereabouts.

Charges of rape and cheating

The dramatic escape came just days after Pathanmajra’s arrest on rape and cheating charges. A woman from Zirakpur lodged an FIR against him, alleging that he misrepresented himself as divorced before pursuing a relationship with her.

She claimed that the legislator married her in 2021 while still legally wed to his first wife. The complaint further accuses him of sexual exploitation, sending obscene material, and issuing threats. As a result, the MLA faces charges of rape, cheating and criminal intimidation.

Speaking on arrest of AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Dhillon Pathanmajra, his lawyer, advocate Simranjeet Singh Saggu said, “An FIR has been registered against Harmeet Singh…A matter was pending before the High Court. The HC disposed it off and marked DIG Ropar Range for inquiry. But this FIR is the ouctcome of the change in political scenario in past two days due to floods. This is against law, against facts and a totally a tug of war between the political people and the bureaucracy. Section for rape and section 420 have been invoked. The complainant had filed the application before SSP Mohali and filed a writ before the High Court. All those allegations were submitted before the High Court by SSP Mohali by way of status report, the complainant herself admitted that she was in a live-in relationship with Harmeet Singh and that she is ready to continue if the relations improve. Even if this is the situation, sections 376 and 420 are being invoked. This raises a big question on the system’s working…He will be produced before Patiala District Court…”

What Pathanmajra said on the allegations?

Pathanmajra, however, has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Soon after the FIR was filed, he went live on Facebook to present his version of events. In his broadcast, he accused the AAP’s Delhi leadership of targeting him for challenging the party’s functioning in Punjab.

“They can lodge FIRs against me, I can stay in jail, but my voice cannot be suppressed,” he declared. His lawyer, advocate Simranjeet Singh Saggu, echoed this position, arguing that the complainant admitted in court to a live-in relationship with the legislator, thereby undermining the charges of rape.

The case comes against a backdrop of Pathanmajra’s growing friction with his own party. In recent weeks, he openly criticised the Punjab government’s handling of devastating floods in Patiala district. He claimed that repeated pleas to desilt rivers such as the Tangri were ignored, which worsened flooding in local villages.

The MLA further alleged that his security detail was withdrawn and police officers in his constituency were abruptly transferred as a form of retaliation for his dissent.

The accusations and subsequent jailbreak have sparked a political storm in Punjab, with the opposition demanding accountability from the AAP leadership. Pathanmajra’s escape has raised serious questions about police preparedness, as well as the ruling party’s ability to manage internal divisions.

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