THE Scottish Government is "deeply concerned" about the detention of a Scottish man in India who campaigners say 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 appeared, but local media reported Mr Johal's arrest was linked to the killing of Hindu leaders in Punjab.
Mr Johal, who got married in India in October, has told lawyers he has been tortured with ''body separation techniques and electrocution''.
READ MORE: Foreign Office demands access to British man Jagtar Singh Johal arrested in India
As the federation raise concerns with the Foreign Office, the leader of Glasgow Gurdwara has written to Scotland's First Minister in a bid for support.
Charandeep Singh wrote: "I write to you as general secretary of the Glasgow Gurdwara to express the concerns and worries of the Glasgow Sikh community and the wider Scottish Sikh community, regarding the abduction and detention of Mr Jagtar Singh Johal.
"We are concerned that the authorities may be using methods of torture against Jagtar, and this is highly likely given the history of the Punjab police and by the fact that no family member, legal representative or British Government representative has been able to meet Jagtar and vouch for his location or his physical and mental wellbeing.
"I would strongly welcome your intervention in this case and support Jagtar Singh Johal and the wider Scottish Sikh community, as we campaign to secure Jagtar's release and safe return to Scotland."
External Affairs Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said: "We are deeply concerned to learn about the detention of Jagtar Singh Johal.
"Scottish Government officials have contacted the Foreign Commonwealth Office about this case - they have assured us they are aware of the situation and are currently attempting to gain access to Mr Johal.
"The First Minister has asked to be kept informed of any further developments."
READ MORE: Foreign Office demands access to British man Jagtar Singh Johal arrested in India
The Foreign Office (FCO) said on Tuesday that it takes allegations of torture ''very seriously'' and is taking action to check on Mr Johal's welfare.
A spokesman said: ''When considering how to act, we will avoid any action that might put the individual in question or any other person that may be affected at risk.''
The Sikh Federation said the 30-year-old should be enjoying married life, but ''finds himself the subject of some sort of conspiracy hatched by the Punjab police and leading politicians''.
A rally calling for his release is to be held by the federation outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London at midday on Thursday.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel