Chandigarh, Sept. 3 -- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has rebutted allegations that it was targeting dissenting voices within the party, saying Sanour MLA Harmit Singh Pathanmajra had begun criticising the state government only after learning of a rape complaint against him. On Tuesday morning, the MLA escaped from police custody in Karnal minutes after being arrested in connection with a rape case. The legal proceedings came two days after Pathanmajra's open criticism of the Bhagwant Mann-led state government over handling of the flood crisis. Addressing a press conference, AAP spokesperson Baltej Pannu said Pathanmajra had also tried to reach out to senior party leaders, but the party had a zero-tolerance policy on such matters. He alleged that realising that legal proceedings might be initiated against him, Pathanmajra tried to divert attention by raising unrelated issues. "As party leader Arvind Kejriwal stresses on the three 'Cs', one of which is 'character', the party does not intervene to shield anyone, regardless of their position," he claimed. He added that the law will take its own course. Leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa hit out against the AAP government, alleging that the rape FIR registered against the party's MLA exposed not just the moral and legal rot within the ruling party, but also the complete collapse of justice under Bhagwant Mann's leadership. "The complainant approached the authorities in September 2022. Yet, for nearly three years, the Mann government remained deaf and blind to her cries for justice. Why was no action taken then?" Bajwa questioned. "Suddenly, in September 2025, when Pathanmajra raises his voice against Mann's functioning and criticises the government, the case is dug up, arrests are made and then miraculously, he even manages to escape. This is nothing but a government of extortion, blackmail and selective targeting," Bajwa claimed....