On November 7, 2025, a wanted man in a rape case casually dialled into an Australia-based Punjabi web channel and announced: “I’ll return only after getting bail.” That man was Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, the sitting AAP MLA from Punjab representing Sanour constituency in Patiala. Within hours, the 40-year-old first-time legislator became the biggest embarrassment in Bhagwant Mann’s two-year-old government.
From Village Boy to Controversial MLA
Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra entered the Punjab Assembly in March 2022 with a thumping margin of 52,000 votes – the highest victory margin for any AAP MLA from Punjab that election. A civil engineer by qualification and farmer by family legacy, he was projected as the fresh, educated face of Arvind Kejriwal’s “new politics”. Little did voters know that three years later, their representative would be broadcasting from Sydney while dodging arrest.
The Rape Case That Shook Punjab
On September 1, 2025, a Zirakpur-based woman walked into Patiala’s Civil Lines police station with a chilling complaint against Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra:
- He allegedly hid his married status (he has a wife and two children)
- Befriended her, entered a relationship, and performed a fake marriage in 2021
- Repeatedly raped her on the promise of actual marriage
- Blackmailed her with private videos and threats
FIR No. 144 was registered under Sections 376 (rape), 420 (cheating), and 506 (criminal intimidation). The next day, Punjab Police raided a relative’s house in Haryana. What followed was pure Bollywood: gunshots, stone-pelting, an injured cop, and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra vanishing in a speeding SUV.
The Great Escape
For 68 days, the AAP MLA from Punjab remained untraceable. Police pasted proclamation notices on his official residence, declared him a proclaimed offender, and issued a Look-Out Circular. Yet, on November 7, he surfaced – safe in Australia, wearing a crisp white shirt, speaking fluent conspiracy.
In his 20-minute video interview, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra claimed:
“This is a political conspiracy to silence MLAs who speak for Punjab’s rights. After losing Delhi, certain leaders have captured Punjab and are destroying it exactly the same way.”
He took direct aim at AAP’s central leadership, alleging that Punjab ministers and MLAs are never consulted on key decisions.
How Did a Wanted MLA Board an International Flight?
This is the question burning every Punjabi taxpayer. Despite an LOC, despite raids across three states, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra simply walked through immigration and landed in Australia. Opposition parties are screaming “state-sponsored escape”. Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa demanded CM Bhagwant Mann’s resignation. Shiromani Akali Dal called it “proof that AAP protects its criminals”. Even BJP state president Sunil Jakhar asked: “If an AAP MLA from Punjab can flee so easily, what hope do common citizens have?”
AAP’s Deafening Silence
As of November 9, 2025, neither CM Mann nor any senior AAP leader has uttered a single word. Party spokespersons are ducking media questions. Kejriwal’s Twitter handle – usually hyperactive – has gone silent on Punjab for 48 hours straight.
What Happens Next?
- Punjab Police claim they are “coordinating with MEA” for extradition
- Pathanmajra’s lawyers will move the Punjab & Haryana High Court for anticipatory bail this week
- If bail is rejected, Australia CAN deport him under the 2020 India-Australia Extradition Treaty
- Political temperature in Chandigarh is at the boiling point – Assembly session starts November 18
The Bigger Question mark on AAP’s Punjab Dream
When AAP swept Punjab in 2022, promising “Inqalab” and “end of VIP culture”, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra was their poster boy. Today, the same AAP MLA from Punjab has become the symbol of everything that went wrong:
- Protecting accused leaders
- Internal rebellion against Delhi bosses
- Complete breakdown of law and order
Sanour voters who gave him a 52,000 majority are now asking on WhatsApp groups: “Will we ever see our MLA again?”
Timeline of Shame
- March 2022 → Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra becomes AAP MLA from Punjab with record margin
- Sept 1, 2025 → Rape FIR filed
- Sept 2 → Dramatic escape amid gunfire
- Sept-Oct → 68 days on the run
- Nov 7 → Surfaces in Australia announces “bail first, return later”
- Nov 9 → Still trending as India’s most wanted legislator
As one viral meme puts it: “From ‘Punjab da puttar’ to ‘Australia da puttar’ in just 68 days.”https://www.ndtv.com/
The Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra saga isn’t just a criminal case anymore. It’s the story of how quickly political dreams can turn into nightmares – for the party, for the voters, and for the woman still waiting for justice.
Stay tuned. Punjab politics just got its juiciest season yet.https://theinfohatch.com/girija-oak-on-filming-sex-scenes-with-gulshan/