Gunshots fired at cops, and an escape: How Punjab AAP MLA, booked in rape case, is on the run

In a dramatic turn of events, Punjab AAP MLA Harmeet Pathanmajra, who was arrested in a rape case, managed to escape from police custody after a violent clash with the cops.

The Sanour MLA was caught in Karnal on Tuesday, but things quickly spiralled out of control. According to NDTV, as he was being taken to the local police station, Pathanmajra and his aides opened fire on the police team.

When officers tried to stop them, the group allegedly ran a policeman over before fleeing in two SUVs. Police later managed to intercept one of the vehicles, a Fortuner, and recovered at least three firearms from it. But Pathanmajra was in the other vehicle, a Scorpio, and is still absconding.

A large-scale manhunt has now been launched to track him down, with police teams in pursuit across the region.

What is the case against Pathanmajra?

Pathanmajra’s dramatic escape comes just days after his arrest in a case involving rape and cheating charges.

The complaint was filed by a woman from Zirakpur, who alleged that the AAP MLA misled her into believing he was divorced when he first pursued a relationship with her back in 2013.

According to her, Pathanmajra went a step further in 2021 by marrying her in a gurdwara in Ludhiana, all while still being legally married to his first wife and having two kids.

The truth, she claimed, surfaced during the 2022 Punjab assembly elections. While filing his nomination papers for the Sanaur constituency, Pathanmajra listed his first wife in the affidavit. This, the complainant said, shattered her trust. She also alleged that the legislator kept pressuring her with promises that he would eventually get divorced.

Her complaint goes on to accuse the MLA of sexual exploitation, sending obscene content, and issuing threats. Based on these allegations, he was booked under Sections 376 (rape), 420 (cheating), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

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Pathanmajra denies all allegations

Pathanmajra has strongly refuted the charges, calling them politically motivated. Soon after the FIR was filed, he went live on Facebook to share his side of the story.

In his broadcast, the legislator accused the AAP’s Delhi leadership of targeting him for questioning the party’s functioning in Punjab.

“They can lodge FIRs against me, I can stay in jail, but my voice cannot be suppressed,” he said.

“They have booked me for rape. I knew this was coming. I will not take this kindly. They will use excesses on me. I will go through the courts… A kabaddi game has now ensued between Delhi and Punjab,” he added.

Kejriwal’s Delhi team is trying to silence me, alleges Sanour AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra. In a Facebook Live, he said Punjab Police has booked him under IPC 376 in an old case involving his ex-wife.

pic.twitter.com/R4Oll3oMLf

— Pratap (@Pratap_btp) September 2, 2025

His lawyer, advocate Simranjeet Singh Saggu, backed him, arguing that the complainant herself had admitted in court to being in a live-in relationship with the legislator, a claim that, he said, undermines the charges of rape.

“This FIR is an outcome of the MLA’s outburst against the party. It is against the law, against the rules. It is basically a tug of war between bureaucracy and MLAs. The complainant had filed an application at Mohali police station. The victim said she was in a live-in relationship with Pathanmajra and was willing to continue with the same arrangement,” Saggu stated.

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Friction between AAP & Pathanmajra

The row around Pathanmajra goes beyond the FIR. In recent weeks, the MLA openly criticised his own government’s handling of floods in Patiala, alleging that ignored requests to desilt rivers like the Tangri worsened the damage.

On Sunday, he even targeted Krishan Kumar, Principal Secretary of Water Resources, saying, “We will do the silting on our own. We will widen it and deepen the bed of the Tangri River. If Krishan Kumar comes, then we will bury him in a ditch.”

Pathanmajra then asked AAP MLAs and workers to gherao the Patiala senior superintendent of police and the deputy commissioner’s office on Tuesday.

“It is important to tell them that we will not be pressurised. The MLAs need to be together. I can be in jail for as long as they want. You will need to ask questions. Ask them if Delhiwallas will rule us. Other parties also have high commands. They do not come and rule here. If you can support me, I can do a coup,” he added.

AAP sees his outburst differently. Party spokesperson Baltej Pannu told ANI that the allegations against him stem from a woman’s complaint, not political vendetta.

#WATCH | Chandigarh | On rape accused Punjab AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Dhillon Pathanmajra fleeing from police custody, AAP’s Baltej Singh Pannu says, “He was arrested by Police from a village near Karnal today morning. Police have now said that he has fled from custody. The party… pic.twitter.com/VTaDefOfOX

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2025

“She said she was in a relationship with the MLA in 2021. He married her in a gurdwara and mentioned this in his affidavit. Recently, she said he tried to contact her again and threatened to complain. He anticipated action and approached senior leaders, but AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has zero tolerance for the three Cs (crime, corruption and character),” Pannu was quoted as saying.

Pannu further alleged that Pathanmajra deliberately stirred up the flood issue as a diversionary tactic once he realised the police were preparing to act. He said that the party is yet to decide on what action should be taken against the MLA.

Pathanmajra, meanwhile, has accused his party of silencing him by withdrawing security and transferring officers in his area. “This is retaliation. They looted Punjab more than Abdali. Now they want to sell Punjab,” he alleged.

The episode has once again exposed rifts within AAP’s Punjab unit. In recent months, other MLAs have also spoken out against the party’s centralised decision-making, some even facing disciplinary action or expulsion.

With protests now being called in Patiala, the Pathanmajra saga seems set to escalate, raising not just questions about his personal conduct, but also about governance, party unity, and the balance of power within AAP.

With input from agencies

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