Sikh Council UK has today called on the Foreign Secretary to meet with the family of Jagtar Singh Johal and to raise the case again with his counterpart in India. This follows the Indian authorities today seeking a further three months to detain Jagtar without charge and confirmation of allegation of torture having been relayed to the British consulate authorities by Jagtar.
Sikh Council UK Chair of Indian Subcontinent Affairs Gurdial Singh Atwal said “It is now three months since Jagtar Singh Johal was arrested and he remains in detention without charge and today the National Investigation Agency has sought another three months to hold Jagtar and others without laying any charges. We understand Jagtar Singh has informed the British consulate authorities in India he was tortured by the Punjab Police in the days following his arrest, but the Indian authorities continue to deny British consular staff private access or to arrange an independent medical examination. We are now calling for this matter to be escalated and pursued at the highest level and for pressure to be exerted on the Indian Government similar to British Government intervention in other cases”.
He added “In the past week we saw the release of a report by the human-rights body REDRESS challenging the British Government for not doing enough to support victims of unjust imprisonment and torture in foreign jails. Whist it is acknowledged and appreciated that regular consulate visits have been maintained in the past couple of months it is concerning that not a lot appears to have happened despite the allegations of torture having been relayed to the authorities by Jagtar Singh.”
