Punjab’s anti-gangster force hunts for rape-accused AAP MLA

The Punjab Government has deputed the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) to arrest AAP MLA from Sanaur, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who is facing a rape charge. The government is reportedly facing flak for its failure to nab Pathanmajra, who escaped the police during a raid at Dabri village in Karnal on Tuesday.

The MLA, who continues to remain untraceable, has alleged that he fears that he would be shot in a fake encounter and that’s why he escaped on Tuesday morning.

Sources said the decision to depute the AGTF was taken by the police top brass on Tuesday, and by late afternoon a team was in Karnal to locate him. In the past, the AGTF has conducted many special operations against gangsters, eliminating or arresting them.

The developments came after high drama prevailed at Dabri village on Tuesday, as Pathanmajra evaded arrest in a rape and cheating case lodged against him in Patiala on Monday on the complaint of a Zirakpur-based woman. The Patiala police alleged that the MLA escaped after firing and stone-pelting by supporters, a charge denied by the MLA. Over 50 cops continue to conduct raids to locate him.

The sources said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bikramjit Brar was heading the AGTF team and camping in Haryana. Brar, who was conferred the President’s gallantry medal last year for eliminating two killers of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, has led many operations against gangsters.

The sources said the AGTF was trying to go through the MLA's mobile location and was also scrutinising CCTV cameras along the route taken by him when he escaped.

The sources also said a few people had been detained in Haryana for questioning regarding their role in the escape of Pathanmajra.

A senior police official said by deputing the AGTF to trace Pathanmajra, the state government had taken a stern decision. He said the government “was taking the developments seriously and will leave no stone unturned to arrest the MLA”.

However, in two videos released on Wednesday, Pathanmajra said he feared “that he would be killed in an encounter and fled after being informed that authorities planned to kill him”.

“They sent 8-10 SPs, over five DSPs and a dozen SHOs with 500 policemen just to portray me as a gangster on the run,” he alleged.

“When the Abdalis couldn’t scare Punjab, how can these Delhi lobby leaders?” he said, invoking historical invaders to rally support.

“I never got into any confrontation with the police. I escaped through another exit when they tried to fire at my vehicle. It was only by the grace of the Almighty that I managed to survive,” he said.

In the video, the MLA also accused a “Delhi lobby” of orchestrating the crackdown against him. He appealed to fellow MLAs and state ministers to raise their voices against what he described as attempts by external forces to destabilise the state.