Skip to main content

Jailed activist ‘tortured’ by Indian police – supporters

CAMPAIGNERS supporting a British man held in India say he has been tortured by police.

Jagtar Singh Johal from Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, was detained in Jalandhar in the state of Punjab on November 4.

The Sikh Federation UK said no official charges have yet surfaced but local media reported Mr Johal’s arrest was linked to the killing of Hindu leaders in Punjab.

The group said the 30-year-old “finds himself the subject of some sort of conspiracy hatched by the Punjab police and leading politicians.”

Mr Johal, who got married in India in October, has told lawyers he has been tortured with “body-separation techniques and electrocution to body parts.”

At a court hearing yesterday to extend his remand, Mr Johal’s lawyer called for an independent medical examination of his injuries.

Last week the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said it was in contact with Mr Johal’s family and Indian authorities.

Sikh Federation chairman Bhai Amrik Singh said: “The callous actions of the Indian authorities are sickening, but the Foreign Office and the British High Commission appear to be under pressure not to act.”

OWNED BY OUR READERS

We're a reader-owned co-operative, which means you can become part of the paper too by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society.

 

 

Become a supporter

Fighting fund

You've Raised:£ 9,899
We need:£ 8,101
12 Days remaining
Donate today