Jagtar Singh Johal has been arbitrarily held in prison in India for the last eight years and has recently been moved to the notorious Tihar facility near Delhi.
A group of MPs have called on the UK Government to take more decisive steps in securing the release of detained Dumbarton man Jagtar Singh Johal.
The local man has been arbitrarily held in prison in India for the last eight years and concerns have been ramped up in recent weeks after news filtered through to Mr Johal’s family that he had been moved to the notorious Tihar Prison near Delhi.
Mr Johal’s brother, Gurpreet, met with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, but was left frustrated by a lack of progress in escalating his relative’s case with the Indian authorities.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arbitrary Detention and Hostage Affairs – which is a cross-party gathering of MPs looking into similar cases across the world, have joined human rights charities in putting pressure on the Government to deal with Mr Johal’s case.
The APPG chairwoman, Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, has now written to Ms Cooper as part of that process.
Ms Kearns said: “We call upon you to urgently intercede on behalf of Jagtar Singh Johal to ensure his safety and secure his release and return to the UK without delay.
“Jagtar is at acute risk of further illegal treatment whilst held at Tihar Prison; his continued detention cannot be justified, and the UK must urgently do what it takes to bring him home.
“As we have raised with you before, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded Jagtar was being arbitrarily detained in 2022.
“It was negligent of the Government not to ensure Jagtar was brought home to Scotland after the acquittal of all the allegations against him by a court in Northern Punjab in March this year.
“Despite being fully acquitted then, he faces eight essentially duplicate cases in Delhi based on the same evidence – cases which have no merit but may subject him to decades of further legal proceedings.”
“Jagtar should not be in prison.
“Every day he spends detained in Tihar Prison risks his life. In an act of great cruelty, you will know the prison has blocked his five-minute weekly call with his family.”
The letter is co-signed by the other MPs on the APPG, who include the SNP MP for Argyll and Bute, Brendan O’Hara – who holds the vice-chair spot on the committee.
Jagtar was arrested by Indian authorities in November 2017, just weeks after his wedding in the country.
He had been a prominent blogger in the UK campaigning against human rights abuses against the Sikh community in India.
Following the meeting last Monday, Gurpreet was critical of the response from the Foreign Secretary and emphasised it had come as a bitter pill to swallow given his status as a local Labour councillor.
He said: “Honestly, I don’t know why I bothered taking the train down from Glasgow for this.
“I’ve now met six Foreign Secretaries and this is one of the most disappointing meetings yet – it felt like a significant step back. The Prime Minister made a big deal of this meeting, so to show up and hear the same empty talk is devastating.”
An FCDO spokesperson said: “We continue to raise concerns about Mr Johal’s prolonged detention at every appropriate opportunity with the Government of India, and we have made clear that faster progress is needed to reach a resolution, including a full investigation into Mr Johal’s allegations of torture.”
