AAP legislator held in rape case 'dramatically' escapes from custody (Lead)

Chandigarh, Sep 2 (IANS) In a dramatic turn of events, Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, whose security was withdrawn by the Mann government a day earlier in connection with a rape case. However, he “dramatically” escaped from the custody.

In a Facebook video post, he said the Punjab Police have booked him under Section 376 in an old case involving his ex-wife. He alleged the Delhi AAP team “is trying to rule over Punjab and is suppressing his voice”.

Clarifying facts, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Baltej Pannu told the media here that Pathanmajra was taken into police custody in connection with a complaint filed by a woman, who alleged that she was in a relationship with the legislator since 2021 and that they even got married at a gurdwara.

Pannu said when Pathanmajra contested the 2022 Assembly elections, he himself disclosed his marital status. A day before his arrest, the legislator from Sanour publicly blamed senior Irrigation Department officers, including Principal Secretary (Drainage) Krishan Kumar, for the deteriorating flood situation in the state.

Pathanmajra also slammed the party's central leadership for the flood crisis and demanded the removal of the officer. He said the officer has not initiated steps to desilt and clean rivers, particularly the Tangri River, despite his requests.

In his video, he said the government should listen to people, or they "will thrash us". "If negligence continues, in the 2027 Assembly polls, AAP will be in a very bad condition... may not even be in a position to form the government again," he said.

The legislator urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to remove Kumar, accusing him of controlling key departments for years, misleading politicians and ignoring farmers' concerns.

On Monday, Pathanmajra claimed that his security cover of 12 personnel has been withdrawn and the station house officers in his constituency have been replaced.

"I knew it beforehand. I told these personnel yesterday that they should prepare. (AAP) Delhi leaders think they can scare me... I want to tell the CM that all MLAs are with you. If you do not listen to me today, then it will be too late. I have been a soldier of the party. They are dictators. Instead of replacing the officers, they are taking action against the MLAs. They want to send a message to all the MLAs by doing this to me," he said.

Quoting the victim’s complaint, AAP leader Pannu said she has alleged that Pathanmajra attempted to re-establish relations with her in recent times. “When she threatened to approach the police, she claimed that she was intimidated by the threat of her private photos and videos being leaked. On this basis, the police registered a case under multiple sections, including charges of rape.”

The AAP leader said when Pathanmajra sensed the possibility of police action, he tried reaching out to senior party leaders. However, AAP has always maintained a zero-tolerance policy on such matters. “As Arvind Kejriwal has always stressed, character is one of the three pillars of the ‘triple C’ -- and in cases like this, the party never intervenes to shield anyone, regardless of their position,” Pannu said.

He said Pathanmajra, realising that legal proceedings might move against him, attempted over the past few days to divert attention by raising unrelated issues. Videos circulated in recent days also suggest that his close associates were aware of the impending police action.

“This morning, Punjab Police located Pathanmajra in Haryana and took him into custody. However, as per available information, he has since escaped from custody,” he added.

Joining the issue, Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa slammed the AAP government, accusing it of reducing governance in the state to a “crude circus of political extortion and vendetta”. The Congress legislator said, “The shocking FIR registered against Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra exposes not just the moral and legal rot within the ruling party, but also the complete collapse of justice under Bhagwant Mann’s leadership.”

“The FIR itself makes it clear that the alleged crime dates back from 2014 to June 2024. The complainant approached the authorities in September 2022 with her grievance. Yet, for nearly three years, the Mann government remained deaf and blind to her cries for justice. Why was no action taken then? Why was this MLA not arrested or even questioned for so long?” Bajwa asked.

He said that the timing of Pathanmajra’s arrest speaks volumes. “Suddenly, in September 2025, when Pathanmajra raises his voice against Mann’s functioning and criticises the government, the case is dug up, arrests are made, and then miraculously, he even manages to escape police custody. This is not governance. This is nothing but a government of extortion, blackmail, and selective targeting,” Bajwa added.

--IANS

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