BORIS Johnson has so far failed to address the case of Jagtar ‘Jaggi’ Singh Johal during his trip to India.
Johal, from Dumbarton has been arbitrarily detained since 2017, when he was snatched off the street by plain clothes police three weeks after his wedding. He is still in jail pending trial and facing a potential death sentence under India’s anti-terror laws.
The conspiracy to which the Indian Government has sought to link Johal involves an alleged plot to destabilise the Punjab region by assassinating Hindu leaders, but Indian authorities have produced no evidence for this other than his forced confession, recorded after he had been severely tortured for several days.
Johnson is currently in India on a trip to reportedly broker a post-Brexit free trade deal with India, which he hopes will be completed “by the autumn”. He has faced calls to address Johal’s situation during his time there, but as of yet has taken no action.
Brother of British national, Jagtar Singh Johal, wrongly detained and tortured in India has a message for @BorisJohnson as he meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “Please bring my brother back home.”#FreeJaggiNow pic.twitter.com/vDXDO5W4hv
— Reprieve (@Reprieve) April 21, 2022
Andrew Purcell of international human rights charity Repieve said: "Jagtar's abduction and torture by Indian police happened on Boris Johnson's watch as Foreign Secretary. More than 100 MPs and peers have written to the government about this case so the Prime Minister knows full well that this young British citizen has been arbitrarily detained by the Indian authorities - for four years and counting.
"This is his chance to demand Jagtar's release and it would be political cowardice if he fails to take it."
Elsewhere, Johnson has sparked outrage in India for posing with bulldozers at the JCB factory - owned by billionaire Tory donor Anthony Bamford - as these were used in the destruction of mostly Muslim homes in the country in an act of state violence by the right-wing BJP government led by Modi.
Amnesty India labelled the visit “ignorant” and called his silence on the issue “deafening”.
The timing of the PM’s trip coincides with a debate on Partygate held at the House of Commons, which concluded on Thursday that the PM should face an investigation on whether he misled parliament over illegal parties held at No 10 during lockdown.
