‘It’s just not enough’: Gurpreet Singh Johal questions lack of efforts to bring his brother back to the UK

Almost six years after his arrest, Jagtar Singh Johal remains imprisoned in India. 

The Scottish man went to his home state of Punjab in India for his wedding in 2017 but never returned. 

Johal, a Sikh activist and campaigner, has been the topic of debate and discussion as many believe that the UK government is not doing enough to bring him back to the country after he was ‘arbitrarily detained’.

The Dumbarton man was allegedly tortured in prison using several methods, including electric shocks. He now faces the death penalty in India.

Johal’s brother Gurpreet, who has been vocal on this issue since his arrest, has spoken up against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak again. He admitted that Sunak has not done enough to help Johal out.

Sunak came under fire after he mentioned that he spoke to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the detention of the man at the G20 Summit held in New Delhi last month. Before his trip to India, a cross-party group of 70 MPs urged Sunak to intervene by collectively signing a letter asking him to call on Modi to “immediately release” Johal.

 He did not provide any details of the conversation, but said: “The foreign office are continuing to provide support to Mr Johal’s family and will continue to do so.”

In response, Gurpreet – a lawyer and Labour councillor – mentioned: “I am pleased that the prime minister has raised my brother’s case with his counterpart, but raising it is not enough unless he has called for Jagtar’s release in line with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s findings.

“Clearly, the prime minister had no option other than to raise Jagtar’s case, after so many MPs demanded he do so.

“I fear that this is just more talk from the UK government and no action. The campaign continues until Jagtar is back home in Scotland.”

Gurpreet spoke on the issue on the BBC’s Today programme recently as well. He said: “Raising the case is not enough.

“[Tory MP] David Davis said soft diplomacy works. But when it doesn’t work, you’ve got to take adverse action and that’s something that the UK Government has failed to do.

“As a family member, as someone that’s been campaigning for his brother’s release for the last six years, just raising the case, it’s just not enough because we don’t even know what the UK Government is raising.

“The allegations of torture took place nearly six years ago. The mental torture continues. But right now, Jagtar is more or less on remand for the last six years on serious charges.

“The authorities are not moving their cases forward. It’s about time the UK Government stands up for their citizens.”

Gurpreet also spoke about Justin Trudeau’s statement in the Canadian parliament last month accusing India of killing Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He said that the UK needs to learn from Canada.

He continued: “[Canada’s actions] showed confidence that your Government will stand up for its citizen.

“Whereas in the UK, for my brother, particularly for the last six years I’ve been campaigning for this release, they failed to do so.

“Even though the UN Working Group opinion has declared my brother’s detention arbitrary and to have no legal basis.”

He added: “The difference with Canada was that they have stood up for a citizen albeit the citizen has died or been killed on Canadian soil.

“Whereas the UK Government haven’t shown that same kind of stance for the citizens.”