London: Dumbarton’s MP has recently written to the newly-appointed British foreign secretary to ask him to offer his full support to the family of Jagtar Singh Johal who has been imprisoned in India for the past nine months.
Jagtar Singh Johal, 31, has been detained by Indian police since November 2017 after travelling from Scotland for his wedding.
Jagtar, known as Jaggi, was charged under anti-terror laws for allegedly financing the murder of Hindu nationalist leader Ravinder Gosain, who was shot dead in October last year – an allegation which has been deemed “baseless” by Jaggi’s brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal.
MP Martin Docherty-Hughes has been pushing for support for the family, and after raising Jaggi’s case in parliament, received assurances that UK government ministers that “extreme action” would be taken in the event of a British national being tortured.
Mr Docherty-Hughes has asked to meet Jeremy Hunt, the new Foreign Secretary, to discuss the case, after Mr Hunt’s predecessor Boris Johnson did not do so before his resignation last month.
Mr Docherty-Hughes commented: “We remain determined to do everything possible to ensure Jaggi is afforded a fair and transparent judicial process by the Indian authorities.
“I hope to secure a meeting with the new Foreign Secretary as soon as possible to press for his full support on behalf of Jagtar and his family”, Dumbarton Reporter quotes MP Docherty-Hughes.
A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “Our staff continue to support a British man and his family following his detention in Punjab.
“We continue to visit him regularly, and raise concerns with the Government of India about his case, including allegations of torture and mistreatment and his right to a fair trial.”