The brother of a Scottish Sikh activist who has been detained without trial in India for four years has told the BBC it is a “nightmare” which has left the family feeling “helpless”.
Mr Johal’s brother Gurpreet says the UK government has “failed” him by prioritising its relationship with India over the welfare of a British citizen. Gurpreet said: “The UK government should stop putting trade over human rights. This is a British national whose life is in danger, he faces the death penalty as a result of your negligence in not protecting him.” He said the Indian prosecutors had not produced “an ounce of evidence in their courts”.
Human rights group Reprieve has been acting for Mr Johal since last year. Andrew Purcell from the group said: “All this week, representatives of the UK government are meeting their Indian counterparts, and once again, Jagtar’s case is the elephant in the room.
“Liz Truss is the fourth foreign secretary to fail to call for his release. What is holding them back? Why won’t they even meet his family?
“It looks awfully like they are abandoning a young British man in a Delhi jail for the sake of political convenience.” Read the full story on BBC News.