CHANDIGARH: Now, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of Punjab Police has been deputed to arrest Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Sanaur, Harmeet Singh Dhillon, aka Pathanmajra, after he escaped from the custody of state police, who had gone to arrest him on charges of rape and cheating from Karnal in Haryana.
Sources said Deputy Superintendent of Police Bikramjit Brar of AGTF is heading the team, which is now camping in Haryana. They are tracking mobile tower locations and scrutinizing CCTV cameras along the route taken by the legislator when he escaped.
The AGTF team is specially trained to neutralize gangsters and has arrested many ‘A’ category gangsters in and outside Punjab in the past. Brar was among the personnel conferred with the President’s Gallantry Medal last year for showing exemplary courage in eliminating two killers of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Sources further claimed that the state government is taking this development seriously and will leave no stone unturned to arrest the absconding MLA.
Yesterday, police had claimed that supporters of Pathanmajra, along with villagers, allegedly fired gunshots and pelted stones, allowing the legislator to escape. Three weapons and an SUV were reportedly recovered. However, family members of Gurnam Singh Laadi, an elected member of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), and villagers denied any firing or stone-pelting, saying police stayed at the house till 8 a.m., had breakfast, and even held discussions with Pathanmajra.
The case against Pathanmajra was registered on Monday under Section 376 of the IPC. Police said an old complaint against him had been under investigation, and on August 26, a Zirakpur-based woman filed a fresh complaint alleging that the legislator sexually exploited her on the promise of marriage. She accused him of misrepresenting himself as divorced, continuing relations while already married, threatening her, and sending obscene material.
The escape came a day after the Punjab government withdrew the MLA’s security cover, recalling eight gunmen previously assigned to him. Only months ago, he had been provided extra protection after claiming he faced threat calls. The state also ordered the transfer of all SHOs and police post heads in his Sanaur constituency.
Before his arrest, he went live on Facebook, accusing AAP’s Delhi leadership of “illegitimately ruling Punjab” and attempting to silence local MLAs. He blamed the government for withdrawing his security and shifting police officers in retaliation. “They think they can scare me with FIRs, but I will never bow down. I will stand like a rock with my people,” he declared.
Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader S Partap Singh Bajwa said the FIR registered against Pathanmajra exposes not just the moral and legal rot within the ruling party, but also the complete collapse of justice under Mann’s leadership. He said the alleged crime dates back from 2014 to June 2024, and the complainant approached authorities in September 2022. Yet, for nearly three years, the Mann government remained inactive. “Why was no action taken then? Why was this MLA not arrested or even questioned for so long?” Bajwa asked.
Bajwa added that the timing of Pathanmajra’s arrest speaks volumes. “Suddenly, in September, when Pathanmajra raises his voice against Mann’s functioning and criticizes the government, the case is dug up, arrests are made, and then he manages to escape police custody. This is not governance. This is nothing but a government of extortion, blackmail, and selective targeting,” he said.
Meanwhile, AAP Punjab leader Baltej Pannu said it was important to share the full picture with the public, as Pathanmajra is an elected representative of the party. He stated that when Pathanmajra sensed possible police action, he tried reaching out to senior party leaders. Videos circulated in recent days suggest that his close associates were aware of the impending police action.
Pannu said AAP stands firm on its principle: the law will take its own course. “It is important for us, as a party, to be transparent with the public. No one in AAP will be shielded or protected in such cases,” he added.