Punjab: Rebel AAP MLA, Arrested On Rape Charges, Escapes Police Custody After Running SUV Over Cop

In a startling turn of events in Punjab, a rebel Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, who was under arrest for a rape case, has broken free from police custody after shooting at officers and running over a policeman.

Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, the MLA from Sanour, was apprehended in Karnal early today. During his transfer to the local police station, Pathanmajra and his accomplices began shooting at the police. They proceeded to run over a police officer who attempted to halt them.

The police are currently chasing the MLA and his accomplices, who made their escape in two SUVs, a Scorpio and a Fortuner. Although the police were able to intercept the Fortuner, Pathanmajra had fled in the other vehicle and remains at large, NDTV reported.

The MLA is under scrutiny for charges of rape, fraud, and criminal threats. These accusations were lodged following a complaint by a woman who alleges that he deceived her into believing he was divorced and initiated a relationship with her. She contends that he sexually exploited her, issued threats, and sent her explicit content.

The First Information Report (FIR) reveals that the complainant, a 45-year-old divorced woman with a daughter living overseas, began a relationship with Pathanmajra in 2013, under the impression that he too was divorced. The pair tied the knot in a gurdwara in Ludhiana in 2021.

However, in 2022, when Pathanmajra ran for state elections in Sanour, she discovered that he had listed his first wife on his affidavit. She claimed that the MLA repeatedly pressured her, insisting that he would end his first marriage.

Previously, the MLA voiced criticism against his own party's approach to managing the floods in Punjab. Following the registration of an FIR against him, he intensified his critique of the Bhagwant Mann administration in Punjab during a live Facebook session.

He claimed that the AAP leadership in Delhi was exerting unfair control over Punjab and called for the backing of his fellow party MLAs. He defiantly stated, "They may register FIRs against me, I may end up in jail, but they cannot silence my voice."

"I had already told my gunmen yesterday that they would be sent back," the MLA said, claiming that his security was withdrawn after he criticised his party's government.

"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. warning the state government that if it fails to listen to people, they "will thrash us".