Web desk: In an alarming development, Sanour MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra slipped away from the house of his relative Gurnam Singh Laddi in Karnal early Tuesday, moments before Punjab Police reached to arrest him in a rape case.
Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra is an Indian legislator who scaled a wall and, with the help of locals, managed to escape. Haryana Police later confirmed his whereabouts remain unknown. His relative, Gurnam Singh Laadi, is a member of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGMC) in India.
Sanaur is a town and a municipal council in Patiala in the Indian state of Punjab.
The Punjab Police in India failed to arrest AAP legislator Vijay Singla Pathanmajra, who faces a rape case. The Indian MLA from Sanaur had been traced to a hotel in Karnal, Haryana, but managed to escape before officers arrived.
A case was filed after a woman accused him of sexual assault. The incident has triggered political uproar, with opposition parties alleging that the ruling AAP government is shielding its leaders. Police say the search for the absconding MLA is ongoing.
AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra escapes police hours after security withdrawn
Pathanmajra’s escape came just a day after his security cover was removed.
This action followed his public criticism of the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government over Punjab’s poor flood management.
Before fleeing, Pathanmajra went live on Facebook, stating he was being framed in an old rape case. He claimed this was punishment for speaking out on Punjab’s devastating floods.
According to the FIR lodged Monday night, he faces charges under IPC Sections 376, 420 and 506. The case is based on a 2022 complaint from a Zirakpur woman who alleged that Pathanmajra married her in 2021 without divorcing his first wife, misleading her about his marital status.
Another Indian politician accused of rape
Pathanmajra is the fourth AAP MLA in Punjab to come under serious criminal investigation.
Earlier, the Vigilance Bureau arrested Mansa MLA Vijay Singla on corruption charges in May 2022, Bathinda Rural MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta in February 2023, and Jalandhar Central MLA Raman Arora in May this year.
The repeated scandals have deepened criticism of AAP’s leadership and handling of Punjab’s governance.
Read more: All 23 districts in India’s Punjab declared flood-hit
