HE is the government minister taking a “personal interest” in the case of the Scot held without charge in India for more than two and a half years.
But almost two months after the Dumbarton family of Jagtar Singh Johal made an urgent plea for online talks, Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon still hasn’t set a date, The National can reveal.
Jagtar Singh Johal was taken from the street by plain clothes officers in the Punjab region in November 2017.
He was shopping with his wife of two weeks at the time and, when the officers did not declare their identities, his family feared he had been kidnapped.
Since then, he has allegedly been subjected to electric shocks and other torture and is still awaiting trial for allegedly helping to finance the killings of right-wing Hindu figures and funding a proscribed group.
No evidence has yet been led against the 33-year-old internet marketer, and his family believe he was wrongly targeted by authorities due to his nationality, Sikh ethnicity, and blogging activities on a site which documents the Hindu-on-Sikh violence which killed thousands in 1984.
The prisoner, known to supporters as Jaggi, is further alleged to have used the internet to radicalise others.
He is currently being held in the massive Tihar jail and his family have not been allowed to see him since September.
His solicitor brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, is heading efforts to free the keep-fit fan and is desperate for concrete evidence about his welfare and condition.
The family has repeatedly accused the UK Government of failing Jagtar and putting trade with India before his human rights – something denied by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Ahmad, Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, was said to have taken a “personal interest” in the case as far back as October.
Jagtar’s family has made repeated approaches seeking a meeting, and two months ago Ahmad said he would do so “once social distancing restrictions in the UK have been lifted”.
But though Gurpreet sought an “urgent Skype/Zoom meeting” to get around problems caused by the pandemic, no date has yet been set.
He said: “I have had to continue to chase for a meeting with Lord Ahmad.
“They were supposed to come back to me with availability, they have not given me anything at all.”
Meanwhile, support for the Scot has snowballed, with more than 38,000 people signing a “Free Jaggi Now” petition on the change.org website. The total is more than double the population of Jagtar’s West Dunbartonshire home town and Gurpreet attributes it to recent commemorations of the 1984 violence.
Material circulated this year includes images sourced by Jagtar prior to his arrest.
Gurpreet said: “There is massive support around the world. The amount of people who have commented is unbelievable.”
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the virtual meeting would be held “in the coming weeks”.
A spokesperson said it is in regular contact with Jagtar and his family and is “active in raising concerns with the Indian authorities, including his unresolved torture allegations and his right to a fair trial”.
A statement added: “Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon has written to the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs to request an update on this case.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel