BRITISH SIKHS SET TO INCREASE POLITICAL PRESSURE TO SECURE RELEASE OF SCOTTISH SIKH DETAINED AND BEING TORTURED IN INDIA

London – 12 November 2017

Members of Parliament return to Westminster tomorrow after a short recess and many will be hearing from British Sikhs concerned about the serious predicament of Jagtar Singh Johal a 30-year old Sikh from Dumbarton being held in jail in India.

The Sikh Federation (UK) has this evening promised to write to over 100 MPs within 24 hours through constituents to help secure the release of the young man from Scotland who recently got married. There are 135 MPs with at least 1,000 or more Sikh constituents. Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK) said:

“Our target is to initially contact over 100 MPs in the first 24 hours of this lobbying campaign before Jagtar appears in court on Tuesday. We are confident this number can be doubled within the first week of the campaign.”

“The letter we have drafted for constituents urges MPs to contact Jagtar’s local MP Martin Docherty-Hughes and to write to the Foreign Secretary to give the case a much higher priority to secure Jagtar’s immediate release and return to the UK.”

Many MPs are also expected to lodge official complaints with the Indian High Commission in London on the unfair and illegal treatment of the British national in India and threats by Indian police to his family members living in the UK.

Preet Kaur Gill the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs has met with the family and will be sending a letter from a cross party group of MPs to the Foreign Secretary and the Indian High Commission.

ENDS

Gurjeet Singh National Press Secretary Sikh Federation (UK)