“Faster progress” is needed to resolve the case of a British man who has now spent eight years behind bars in India, Downing Street has said.
Jagtar Singh Johal, a Sikh activist from Dumbarton near Glasgow, was detained by the Indian authorities on November 4 2017, just weeks after his wedding in the south Asian country, and has remained in jail ever since.
He was acquitted earlier this year in a case in which he was accused of financially supporting a terror group, but he still faces federal charges from the Indian authorities, which his supporters say are effectively duplicate cases.
The 38-year-old has claimed to be subject to torture and his imprisonment was recognised by a UN panel as arbitrary detention in 2022.
His family and the legal campaign group Reprieve say he has been detained on politically-motivated charges because he raised concerns about how India’s Sikh community has been treated.
Reprieve has also revealed for the first time that Mr Johal’s wedding ring and a gold chain – the last gift he received from his mother before she died – have been lost by the authorities in Punjab, after they were confiscated when he was arrested.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters that Sir Keir Starmer had “consistently raised consular cases, including Jagtar Singh Johal”, with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, including when they met last month.
The spokesman added: “We will continue to make clear to the Government of India that faster progress is needed, and we are clear that a resolution must include an investigation into Mr Johal’s allegations of torture.”
Pressed that there had been no resolution in eight years, the spokesman replied: “As I say, the Prime Minister has consistently raised this case, among others. We continue to make our position clear to the Government of India.”
As his family marks eight years without Mr Johal, Reprieve shared documents in which the police in Punjab admitted they cannot find possessions that were taken from him on his initial arrest.
This includes a gold wedding ring and a gold chain said to be worth £12,000, which he was given by his mother.
The British national is entitled to their return as he was acquitted of the case brought against him in Punjab, and had applied to get his property back.
Mr Johal’s wife, Gurpreet Kaur, said: “It is impossible to describe the pain of being separated from Jagtar for so long. We were just beginning our life together, full of hope and love.
“When I look at the picture of us dancing, so happy, with the rings on our fingers symbolising our vows to each other, it makes me unbearably sad. I think of the years, the life that has been taken away from us. I don’t care about the gold chain or even the ring – I just need Jagtar back to start our married life together.”
His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, meanwhile, said it “should be clear by now” that the Indian authorities will only release his brother “if the UK Government insists on it”.
He added: “The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are the two people who can make it happen – and I’ll be stressing this when I meet Yvette Cooper in the coming weeks.”
