Jagtar Singh Johal 'subjected to solitary confinement' after first case acquittal

The Government is not acting “urgently” enough to secure the release of a British man detained in India for more than seven years, his family has said.

Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, near Glasgow, was in Punjab for his wedding in 2017 when his family said he was arrested and bundled into an unmarked car.

The UK national has been tortured, including with electric shocks, and may face the death penalty because of his campaigning for Sikh rights, human rights organisations have said.

His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, told the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Arbitrary Detention on Wednesday that it was “not good enough” that foreign secretary David Lammy had offered to meet with the family in seven or eight weeks.

He added: “The foreign secretary has raised the case but raising the case is not enough.

“Meeting us in seven or eight weeks’ time is not urgent enough. It should have happened yesterday.”

The foreign secretary last met Mr Johal’s brother on October 30 and raised his case with the Indian minister of external affairs on March 5.

Mr Johal was acquitted in a case in Punjab last month but is still facing eight charges at federal level which are being prosecuted in Delhi by India’s National Investigation Agency.

His brother said his conditions had “worsened” since the acquittal, with Mr Johal being subject to solitary confinement and “mental torture”.

He added: “If anything were to happen to Jagtar, personally I would say it is due to lack of action by the Government because they were not taking this urgently and seriously.”

Mr Johal’s family said he was forced to sign a blank confession after being tortured following his arrest and made to record a video which was broadcast on Indian TV.

Dan Dolan, from the human rights organisation Reprieve, said there had been “no assemblance of due process” in Mr Johal’s case and “now is the moment” to secure his release.

Mr Dolan said that the criminal cases in India had been duplicated at the federal level to “effectively extend Jagtar’s ordeal”.

He added that the previous Conservative government had “failed” Mr Johal over the years he has been detained.

Mr Dolan told the APPG: “Sadly, Jagtar’s British passport may have placed him at a disadvantage over these seven years during a period where the British government was not able to take action that was needed.”

Addressing the parliamentary group, Mr Johal’s brother said “political will is required to bring Jagtar back home”.

He added: “You cannot keep hiding behind the legal system.

“This is what the previous government did, and the fear is the current government hides behind the same legal system and Jagtar could be in prison for decades.

“I never thought I would have to fight with the Indian government to bring my brother back home, but also the British Government to do more to bring my brother back home.”

Discussing the charges faced by Mr Johal, Mr Dolan said: “This case started with torture. It’s all based on torture.

“His detention is due to his activism and his campaigning for accountability. He has effectively been targeted by the Indian government.”

Rupert Skilbeck, of the human rights organisation Redress, said Mr Johal’s detention was intended to “break his spirit” so he can “no longer be bothered to fight whatever they are throwing at him”.

He told the APPG: “In this case, the evidence of torture is fairly strong, but the biggest problem we have had is that the Indian government has repeatedly refused to undertake an independent medial examination at the time to see whether there was evidence of torture.

“And of course, if you wait long enough, then the physical signs are gone and it’s a tactic we see across the world.”

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: “We welcome the recent progress in the case.

“The UK Government remains committed to working for faster progress on Jagtar’s case, and the FCDO continue to work to support Mr Johal and his family.

“The Foreign Secretary has offered to meet Mr Johal’s brother and representatives from Reprieve again to discuss Mr Johal’s case.”