On Saturday (20th December), a court in Punjab declared Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra a proclaimed offender in a rape case, after he repeatedly failed to appear before investigators. The court also directed authorities to collect details of his movable and immovable assets as part of the legal process. Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra is the sitting MLA from Sanaur in Patiala district of Punjab.
The court’s order comes nearly a month after proceedings were initiated to declare the Sanaur MLA a proclaimed offender. Pathanmajra has not joined the investigation since an FIR was registered against him on 1st September on charges of rape, cheating and criminal intimidation, based on a complaint filed by a woman from Zirakpur.
Police officials said several notices were issued asking the MLA to cooperate, but he continued to remain absent. A lookout notice had already been issued against him earlier.
Police say MLA is still absconding
Deputy Superintendent of Police (City-1) Satnam Singh said Pathanmajra is still on the run. “He has now been declared a proclaimed offender by the court. We are actively searching for him, and further proceedings will be carried out as per the law,” he said.
Police said the MLA narrowly escaped arrest on 2nd September, when a Patiala police team reached the house of one of his relatives in Karnal, Haryana. According to officials, Pathanmajra managed to flee just moments before the police could detain him.
AGTF roped in, MLA claims conspiracy
A day after his escape, the Punjab government handed over the case to the Punjab Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) to trace and arrest him. Despite multiple raids at suspected locations, Pathanmajra has not been arrested so far.
Interestingly, the absconding MLA has remained active on social media, where he has been posting videos and messages criticising the Punjab government. Sources have claimed that he may have fled abroad, though no senior police officer has confirmed this officially.
Conflicting versions of escape
In online interviews with private media channels, Pathanmajra claimed he escaped because he feared a fake police encounter for “taking on the Delhi AAP lobby.” While police maintain that he fired shots and fled, the MLA has denied this, saying he only “outsmarted” the police and that no firing took place.
He has also claimed to possess evidence to prove his innocence, saying he would present it before the court at the right time. Reportedly, Pathanmajra fled to Nepal by road to avoid arrest and later flew to Australia. He is believed to be hiding there now. In a television interview, he said he would return only after getting bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “I have already applied for bail in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Once I get bail, I will return,” he had said.
