AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra has rejected reports that he fired at police to escape custody, instead claiming that he fled to avoid what he described as a “fake encounter.” In a video message released from hiding, the legislator from Sanour alleged that he had information suggesting the police intended to kill him in a staged operation. He insisted that he never confronted officers, but only evaded them when they allegedly fired at his vehicle, escaping along another route.
Pathanmajra criticised the scale of the police action against him, alleging that 400–500 personnel, including multiple senior officers, had been deployed in an effort to project him as a gangster. He further accused a “Delhi lobby” within the Aam Aadmi Party of orchestrating the case against him. He urged Punjab MLAs to resist what he called outside interference in state politics. Reiterating his denial, he asked the police directly whether he had engaged in any confrontation or fired a shot at them. He also invoked Punjab’s history of resistance, declaring that if invaders like Ahmad Shah Abdali could not subdue the state, leaders from Delhi could not suppress it either.
The MLA claimed that Deputy Superintendent of Police Bikramjit Brar of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) was leading efforts against him from Karnal. Police sources confirmed that AGTF units, along with other teams, were examining CCTV footage and mobile data to trace him. Pathanmajra had been arrested on Tuesday in Dabri village, Karnal district, in connection with a case filed by a Zirakpur woman accusing him of rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation. The complainant alleged that he misrepresented his marital status, entered into a relationship, and married her in 2021 despite already being married, later exploiting and threatening her.
Pathanmajra has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, accusing AAP’s central leadership of using the state government to suppress him. His lawyer, Simranjeet Singh Saggu, argued that the complainant had admitted to a live-in relationship, describing the allegations as baseless. Police accounts of his escape differ. Patiala CIA in-charge Pardeep Bajwa stated that villagers and others pelted stones and opened fire, helping the MLA flee in two SUVs with supporters, injuring a policeman in the process. One vehicle was seized, weapons were recovered, and an accomplice was arrested, though Pathanmajra himself escaped. Haryana Police, however, reported no evidence of firing at the spot, though they said the possibility of warning shots was under investigation.
Pathanmajra continued to criticise the Punjab government and AAP’s Delhi leadership after the FIR was lodged, going live on Facebook to accuse the central leadership of illegitimately interfering in state affairs. He claimed that, unlike Congress or BJP administrations, AAP’s Delhi-based leaders were undermining Punjab’s autonomy. He also recently targeted a senior IAS officer over alleged inaction on flood prevention measures, including desilting of rivers such as the Tangri. Still, AAP leader Baltej Singh Pannu said the MLA only began raising this issue after learning of the case filed against him.
Meanwhile, police units, including AGTF, remain engaged in efforts to locate and arrest the absconding legislator, who continues to evade capture.
