The Patiala police on Thursday arrested 11 aides of AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who has been on the run since Tuesday after being booked in a rape case, for ‘harbouring’ him. The Sanaur legislator, 50, had fled from his relative and Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (HSGMC) member Gurnam Singh Laddi’s house at Dabri village in Karnal early on Tuesday, minutes after a Punjab Police team arrived to arrest him in connection with a rape case.
In total, 15 close aides of MLA have been booked as per the FIR lodged by the police.
The arrested persons were produced in the Patiala court on Thursday and sent to a four-day remand.
As per the FIR registered by the Patiala Police, a copy of which is with the HT, the accused have been booked under Section 249 (whoever harbours or conceals a person whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the offender) and 253 (harbouring offender who has escaped from custody) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused have also been booked under Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
The police have received secret information that all these accused have licensed and unlicensed weapons. “Besides, they have harboured AAP MLA Pathanmajra. After finding the said information reliable and correct, a case has been filed,” the FIR reads.
Haryana Police has also registered a case against the AAP legislator and his relative, Gurnam Singh Laadi, for obstruction of discharge from official duty, escape from custody, and other charges. The residents of Dabri village in Karnal alleged that 14 members of Laadi’s family were “picked up” by Punjab Police teams in connection with the case.
{{/usCountry}}Haryana Police has also registered a case against the AAP legislator and his relative, Gurnam Singh Laadi, for obstruction of discharge from official duty, escape from custody, and other charges. The residents of Dabri village in Karnal alleged that 14 members of Laadi’s family were “picked up” by Punjab Police teams in connection with the case.
{{/usCountry}}Pathanmajra, a first-time MLA, has been denying police claims that bullets were fired at the cops who had come to arrest him. In two video messages released from an undisclosed location, Pathanmajra hit out at AAP’s central leadership, alleging that he was being targeted by the “Delhi lobby” and had to flee after learning that he would be killed in a “fake encounter”.
Patiala police had booked the AAP MLA at the Civil Lines police station on September 1 on charges of rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation. The case was registered based on a complaint by a Zirakpur-based woman.
The police along with the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) have launched massive search operation to nab the MLA. His social media accounts have also been blocked by the police.
Meanwhile, Pathanmajra on Thursday applied for an anticipatory bail application in the district court. The matter will be heard on Friday.
HSGMC chief comes out in support of Laadi
HSGMC chief Jagdish Singh Jhinda on Thursday, came out in support of Gurnam Singh Laadi and his family and said that he was innocent.
“Laadi and his family members are innocent; they are being harassed. The real culprit is AAP that trusted him with the ticket to fight polls,” Jhinda said.