Sturgeon’s concern over Scottish Sikh jailed in India
SCOTLAND first minister Nicola Sturgeon has asked foreign secretary Dominic Raab to meet the family of a Scottish Sikh man from Dumbarton who is being held under anti-terror laws in India and imprisoned there for almost four years.
Jagtar Singh Johal, 33, who was detained in Punjab in November 2017 when he travelled to the Indian state for his wedding, is accused of conspiring to kill a number of Hindu leaders. However, he denies the charges, saying he was “falsely implicated” and was tortured to make a confession.
Sturgeon wrote to Raab expressing her concerns about the allegations of torture and mistreatment of Johal in custody, according to media reports last weekend. She also raised Johal’s alleged detention without trial.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader’s letter adds pressure on the UK government in relation to the case. In February, nearly 140 politicians, including former Brexit secretary David Davis; SNP leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford; and former international development secretary, Hilary Benn, wrote to Raab asking him to seek Johal’s release.
Johal is also supported by legal NGO Reprieve, whose deputy director Harriet McCulloch called his situation “as clear a case of arbitrary detention as we’ve come across”, the Guardian reported.
Despite Johal making numerous court appearances, his trial has been repeatedly delayed at the request of the prosecution, and basic information was denied to his defence counsel, McCulloch said.
Authorities in India denied the allegations saying “there is no evidence of mistreatment or torture as alleged”, the BBC said.