Keir Starmer under pressure prior to visit to India to secure release of Scot held illegally for 8 years in an Indian jail and bring him home to reunite him with his wife and family
London – 7 October 2025
The Sikh Federation (UK) wrote to Keir Starmer on 5 October urging him to secure the release and return of Jagtar Singh Johal who has been tortured and on 4 November would have been held in arbitrary detention in an Indian jail for 8 years.
The letter states: ”Whilst we understand you have raised the case of Jagtar Singh Johal at every opportunity as Prime Minister with your Indian counterpart in the last 15 months the Sikh community had expected to see concrete progress towards Jagtar’s release and return when you last met Narendra Modi in the UK at the end of July.”
The letter continues: ”Jagtar’s acquittal on 4 March 2025 when the first case against him eventually came to court should have been the catalyst for the
Foreign Secretary and the UK Government to secure Jagtar’s release as a British citizen and get him back home as there was no new evidence in the other cases against him.”
Dabinderjit Singh OBE, the Lead Executive for Political Engagement at the Sikh Federation (UK) states in the letter: “The Indian authorities have been unable to produce any evidence in 8 years to convict Jagtar and should not be keeping him in prison. Over 100 MPs wrote to the Foreign Secretary in
April after Jagtar’s acquittal, but sadly there has been no progress in terms of securing his release and return to the UK.”
The letter calls for the Prime Minister’s intervention when he meets Narendra Modi later this week stating it: “is critical to secure Jagtar’s release”. Keir Starmer has been urged “to make all efforts … to get Jagtar released and reunite him with his wife and family in Scotland”.
The letter to Keir Starmer also urges him to take up transnational repression and political interference by the Indian government targeting Sikh politicians and activists in the UK with the Indian Prime Minister.
The Guardian is expected to run an exclusive story on this and reveal for the first time how Keir Starmer and his Chief of Staff embarrassingly became a victim of a disinformation campaign by the Indian authorities. This will highlight a cover up of the detrimental impact on a leading member of the Sikh community that has come to light following a serious data breach by a Parliamentary Committee that has been reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office and is currently being investigated.
The third matter raised in the letter is for Keir Starmer to express concern and warn India of the dangers with its public shift of openly aligning with Russia and China against Western nations. The letter states this raises “a massive long term question if India can ever be trusted (by Western nations) as a reliable partner”.
The Sikh Federation (UK) letter to Keir Starmer concludes: ”We hope you will return from India with good news for Jagtar’s wife and family and reassurance to the Sikh and wider community on the other two issues.”
ENDS Jaspal Singh Lead Executive Sikh Federation (UK)