Jagtar Singh Johal’s Family Expresses Hope Following Foreign Secretary Meeting

The brother of a Scottish Sikh man, who has been detained in India for seven years, stated he feels “a lot more hopeful” about his sibling’s situation after a discussion with the UK foreign secretary. Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, is facing terror charges linked to political violence in northern India, but he has not yet been convicted. The 37-year-old was apprehended in Punjab in November 2017, just weeks after his wedding took place there. His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, met with Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London. He described the meeting as positive, but cautioned that “the proof was in the pudding” regarding whether it would lead to his brother’s release. Mr. Johal is accused of traveling to Paris in 2013 to deliver £3,000 to a co-conspirator, allegedly knowing the money would be used to finance a series of attacks against Hindu nationalists and other religious leaders in Punjab. The trial for the eight most serious cases against Mr. Johal began in 2022 and is currently ongoing. David Lammy is the fifth foreign secretary Gurpreet Singh Johal, a Labour councillor, has met to discuss his brother’s case. He stated: “Over the last seven years, I’ve heard a lot of empty talk from previous Foreign Secretaries about my brother’s case. “After today’s meeting I’m a lot more hopeful that this new Government will do what is right. David Lammy listened to what we had to say and the solutions we proposed – unlike his predecessors. “But the proof is in the pudding – and that means getting Jagtar out of prison and back to Dumbarton.” Mr. Lammy’s predecessor as foreign secretary, David Cameron, had previously urged the Indian government to “speed up” the case after meeting the family in Scotland in February. Speaking at that time, Lord Cameron said: “I take incredibly seriously any case of a British citizen imprisoned in another country”. In May 2022, a UN panel of human rights experts concluded that Jagtar Singh Johal’s detention was arbitrary and recommended his release. He has claimed he was subjected to torture during the initial period of his detention, an allegation consistently denied by the Indian authorities. Dan Dolan, the director of advocacy and policy at the human rights organization Reprieve, commented that the new Labour government should “do better” than the preceding Conservative administration. He said: “The foreign secretary and Prime Minister both took strong, principled positions on Jagtar’s case in opposition, recognising that he is arbitrarily detained and saying the government should seek his release. “We’re calling on them to honour those commitments. They have an opportunity to do better than the last government and bring Jagtar home to his family in Dumbarton.” The High Commission of India in London had previously stated that “due process” under Indian law was being followed in the case. Earlier this year, a spokesman remarked: “Mr Johal is facing criminal trials in no less than eight cases of hate crimes with charges relating to extremely serious offences including terror crimes, conspiracy to murder, and merciless assassinations of people belongings to different faiths. He further added: “As his cases are before courts in India, it is for the courts to decide the next steps in his case, not the government of either country.” The Foreign Office informed BBC Scotland News that it continues to provide support to Mr. Johal and his family, and that government officials have maintained visits to him during his detention.