THE brother of a Scot held in Indian for 800 days without charge has accused the Foreign Secretary of ignoring his family.
Jagtar Singh Johal, nicknamed Jaggi, was arrested shortly after his Indian wedding in late 2017.
Though he has been accused of involvement in an international conspiracy to assassinate prominent right-wing Hindu figures, the Sikh blogger has yet to be formally charged.
That’s despite attending more than 140 court appearances.
With support from the #FreeJaggiNow campaign, his Dumbarton family have pressed the UK Government for action following early reports of torture and mistreatment at the hands of Punjab police.
READ MORE: Jagtar Singh Johal campaign ‘back to square one’
No independent medical assessment has taken place and UN figures have written to Indian authorities in support of the detainee.
On the 800 day landmark yesterday, his brother Gurpreet Singh Johal hit out at the UK Government for its handling of the case, claiming the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not doing enough to help.
And he said he has been refused the chance to meet with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab over the matter, which instead lies with Tory peer Lord Ahmad, the Minister of State for South Asia.
Referring to high profile cases involving international legal issues, Gurpreet said: “The Foreign Secretary has met Harry Dunn’s family, he has met Richard Ratcliffe and the family of the teenager in Cyprus. Why is he not meeting with us?”
READ MORE: Martin Docherty-Hughes honoured for supporting Jagtar Singh Johal
The family’s MP Martin Docherty-Hughes has raised concerns about the case and said the “Son of the Rock” must be given fair treatment.
An FCO spokesperson said Lord Ahmad has “taken a personal interest in the case”, adding: “Our staff continue to support Jagtar and his family following his detention in India. We 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.”
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