Punjab: MLA who blamed his govt for flood woes booked for rape, escapes amid gunfire

In a dramatic turn of events on Tuesday, Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra allegedly escaped police custody on Tuesday after being booked in a rape case, with sources claiming gunshots were fired during the incident and a policeman was injured after being struck by an SUV used in the escape.

The Sanour MLA, who has recently been vocal against his own party’s leadership, was reportedly assisted by supporters during the alleged escape, sources added.

Efforts are underway to locate Pathanmajra. Senior superintendent of police Varun Sharma remained unavailable for comment.

Earlier in the day, Pathanmajra appeared in a video on Facebook, stating: "They can lodge FIRs against me, I can stay in jail, but my voice cannot be suppressed." He claimed he had been falsely booked under rape charges and accused the AAP’s central leadership of interfering excessively in Punjab’s governance.

According to the FIR registered on the complaint of a woman from Zirakpur, Pathanmajra faces charges of rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation. The complainant alleged that the MLA misrepresented himself as being divorced and entered into a relationship with her, later marrying someone else in 2021 while still legally married.

She further accused him of repeated sexual exploitation, threats, and sending her obscene material.

In his social media video, Pathanmajra hit out at the AAP leadership in Delhi, stating: "Delhi-based AAP leadership is illegitimately ruling over Punjab." He urged fellow MLAs to stand with him, claiming that such central interference never occurred under previous Congress or BJP governments.

Rising dissent, flood anger and fallout

The dramatic developments come just days after Pathanmajra openly criticised his own government’s handling of the state's worsening flood crisis, blaming senior bureaucrats and alleging administrative apathy.

Speaking to the press on Sunday, he blamed principal secretary (water resources) Krishan Kumar for failing to act on requests to clean and desilt rivers, particularly the Tangri, which led to flooding in parts of Pathanmajra's Assembly segment.

He warned that public anger was rising, stating that if the administration ignored the people, they "will thrash us".

Pathanmajra also claimed that his security detail was withdrawn and that police officials in his segment had been transferred. On Monday, he said: "I had already told my gunmen yesterday that they would be sent back. 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."

The case has triggered political ripples, with the MLA positioning himself as both a critic of his party's centralisation and a target of alleged political vendetta.

With PTI inputs