The brother of a dad imprisoned in India for more than 2,000 days has said his family has an empty space at the dinner table every night.
Last week marked 2,000 days since Jagtar Singh Johal, known as Jaggi, was locked up amid accusations he was involved in a political murder plot in Punjab, northern India, which he and his family have always strongly denied.
But with the lengthy time prosecutors take to investigate – and more than 200 witnesses to speak to – his family estimate the 36-year-old day from Dumbarton, will be in his 70s before the case is resolved.
His brother Gurpreet Singh Johal said just one witness out of 200 has been questioned so far and hearings are only taking place one day every eight weeks, Daily Record reports.
As there are eight charges, each witness must be cross-examined eight times which means the whole process could take up to 40 years under the current timescales.
Speaking as the 2000 day anniversary was reached, Gurpeet - who serves as a councillor for Dumbarton - said: “I miss my brother every single day. The whole family does.
“There’s an empty space at the dinner table and part of our hearts is missing, too.
“When we first started campaigning to bring him home, we thought the UK Government would act right away, because the evidence of his torture is so strong and the case against him so weak and so obviously politically-motivated.
“We didn’t think it would take 100 days, let alone 2,000.
“It doesn’t get any easier, and the longer it goes on, the greater the damage - to Jagtar, to our family, and to the UK’s reputation as a country that will act to protect its own citizens.”
Jagtar’s case is being supported by human rights charity Reprieve.
Their director of policy and advocacy, Dan Dolan, said: “If you look at Jagtar’s case by the numbers, it’s easy to understand how absurd it is.
“He was abducted and tortured by Indian police 18 days after his wedding, and for the last 2,000 days he’s been locked up in an Indian prison, while almost 300 pre-trial hearings have come and gone without any admissible evidence being produced against him.
“In that time there have been five UK Foreign Secretaries and four Prime Ministers – they have all failed to bring him home.
“Each day that Ministers fail to act to end Jagtar’s arbitrary imprisonment shames the UK Government.
“Even one day of abandoning a British citizen unjustly detained overseas is a day too many.
“That we are still here, counting the days, five years and five months after Jagtar was snatched off the street, goes to show how badly his government has failed him.
“Will they wait another 1,000 days before they act?”
Jaggi was imprisoned in Punjab after travelling there from Scotland for his wedding in 2017 and is currently suffering in awful prison conditions in Delhi.
His family insist he was detained and tortured over his activism and campaigning for Sikh human rights.
But Indian officials have accused him of being involved in a murder plot and charged him under the country’s Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
His case was last year raised in Westminster but his family are urging them to do more.
Urging action, West Dunbartonshire MP Martin Docherty-Hughes said: “As we mark the 2,000th day of Jagtar’s imprisonment, the UK government has massive questions to answer on why it’s going soft on the case when this UK citizen needs them the most.
“Their recent submissions stating that they didn’t believe Jagtar to have been tortured was a slap in the face for his family, who they have strung along for these five and a half years.
“Promises of ‘extreme action’ by Tory Ministers have been unfulfilled and their representations have been weak and predictable.
“As the UN report clearly stated, Jagtar has been arbitrarily detained – yet the UK and Indian governments remain seemingly the only two actors in the case unable to acknowledge this fact.
“It’s appalling that while Ministers prioritise a trade deal, my constituent is left languishing in prison with no resolution in sight.”
Gurpeeet was in attendance at a full meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council this afternoon, where Jagtar’s plight was raised by Provost Douglas McAllister.
Provost McAllister said: “Today marks 2000 days since Jagtar’s arrest.
“It’s worth reflecting on this unwanted milestone. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention have ruled that Jagtar’s detention is clearly arbitrary and lacks any legal basis.
“We call again for his immediate release.
“He has suffered 2000 days of wrongful imprisonment, 2000 days deprived of basic human rights in appalling conditions.
“Jagtar is one of our own, he is from Dumbarton and he shouldn’t be made to suffer a day longer in prison.
“It is the duty of the British Government and all parties at Westminster to make proper representations and do whatever it takes to bring Jagtar home to his family in Dumbarton.”
The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office have been contacted for comment.
