The release of a Scot detained in India for years is “right at the top of the agenda” for the UK Government, the Scottish Secretary has said.
Jagtar Singh Johal, a Sikh activist from Dumbarton near Glasgow, was arrested while in India for his wedding in 2017, and has been held ever since – despite having been cleared of one of the cases against him earlier this year.
But he still faces charges at a federal level, which his supporters – who claim an initial confession he made was as a result of torture – fear could take years to come to a conclusion.
Ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday to sign a new trade deal between the two countries, Mr Johal’s brother Gurpreet suggested it is a “golden” chance to secure his release.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland on Thursday, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the issue is “complex” but the UK Government is working to resolve it.
“The Government are doing all we possibly can to get this resolved,” he said.
“There was a recent meeting, just at the start of June, between the Foreign Secretary and his counterpart in India to try and get these issues resolved.
“So it’s right at the top of the agenda and we can assure and re-assure that we’re doing everything we possibly can to get these issues resolved as quickly as possible.”
Speaking earlier on the same programme, Gurpreet Singh Johal – a serving Labour councillor in West Dunbartonshire – said: “Raising the case is not enough, it’s what we’ve been saying since day one.
“There’s a golden opportunity here for the Prime Minister now, prior to the deal being signed or as the deal is being signed, that he strongly calls for Jagtar to be returned to his family so he can continue his married life.”
Mr Murray added: “The call is for these issues to be resolved and we’re all fully on the same page in terms of having to get them resolved as quickly as possible.”
