Torture investigation finds Jaggi needs ‘urgent access to independent medical and psychological’ help

A letter to the UK High Commission of India from the  International Rehabilitation Council for Torture victims (IRCT) said ‘there is an urgent need’ for Jagtar Singh Johal to get ‘immediate access to independent medical and psychological examination’ after recent findings.

Read the letter sent by the IRCT team to the High Commission of India here.

Jagtar Singh Johal is a Scottish Sikh that will reach two years in detainment in India on November 4th. ‘Jaggi’ as he is known, had a bag forced over his head in broad daylight and was bundled into a vehicle by plain-clothed men in 2017 in Punjab, just weeks after getting married in the country.

Many believe Jaggi was taken and arrested because of his work as a Sikh activist, an issue that the Sikh community has long spoken out about. The fact that Jaggi has seen court hearings and trials for the crimes he is accused of endlessly delayed since, rather than actual evidence presented against him, has helped underline the belief he is being used as an example to other Sikhs in the diaspora outspoken on issues such as the Indian state’s role in the 1984 Sikh genocide.

For a timeline of news on Jaggi’s situation, check www.SikhPA.com/FreeJaggiNow.

The findings from the IRCT were based on an independent forensic expert opinion, resulting in the letter, sent last week as revealed by human rights advocacy and support group Redress. Calls for such an investigation have been made ever since Jaggi was taken and subsequently detained, due to the fact he let his legal team know he was being tortured and also a well documented history of such behaviour by Punjab Police. Details of his torture became clearer when Jaggi shared a handwritten note on what he had endured with his legal team early last year. The content includes detailed description of his torture as well as the constant psychological torment he has been forced to endure.

Neither the High Commission of India or the Foreign Office have yet responded to the IRCT request for them to take ‘all possible steps’ to help secure the necessary evaluation of Jagtar Singh’s state.

The news comes at the same time as Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, minister for the Commonwealth, United Nations and South Asia, was praised by Jagtar Singh’s brother Gurpreet Singh for being ‘more accommodating and more involved’ than other Foreign Office reps, which has previously included current Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Lord Ahmad said of the situation, ‘We continue to provide consular assistance to Jagtar, and our staff in India regularly visit him. We will continue to raise this case with the Indian government.’

Read more on Lord Ahmad’s role in the Jaggi situation here.

For regular updates and more insight into Jaggi’s situation, you can follow the official #FreeJaggiNow campaign page on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.