Aam Aadmi Party MLA Harmeet Pathanmajra was shifted from Central Jail, Patiala, to Central Jail, Bathinda, on Wednesday night. Pathanmajra, who had recently been lodged in Patiala jail after completing a 12-day police remand with the Patiala police, spent only two nights there before being transferred to the Bathinda jail on the directions of jail authorities.
The MLA was arrested by the Patiala police from Gwalior in connection with a case registered under Sections 376(2)(N), 420, and 506, based on a complaint filed by a woman. After his arrest, he was taken into police custody for interrogation and was later sent to judicial custody in Patiala jail, where he was kept in a separate cell due to security considerations.
On Wednesday night, he was moved to the Bathinda jail under tight security arrangements. A police team led by a local DSP, accompanied by five other personnel, escorted him during the transfer.
Also read: Terror module busted in Punjab, 2 held
A senior jail department official said the decision to shift him was taken keeping security concerns in mind. However, members of Pathanmajra’s family and his supporters criticised the move, calling it discriminatory and vindictive. They alleged that transferring him to Bathinda was a deliberate attempt to make it difficult for his family and supporters to visit him.
Pathanmajra had come into the spotlight during last year’s floods when he openly criticised his own government and reportedly made strong remarks against leaders of the party’s Delhi leadership.
Following the registration of the case against him, he had initially gone absconding and is reported to have travelled to Australia despite lookout circulars being issued at airports across the country. After remaining abroad for several months, he was eventually arrested by the Patiala police from Gwalior last month upon his return to India.
Sources said at the Bathinda jail, a special barrack has been arranged for Pathanmajra, where he is being kept under strict supervision.
Follow us
