#FreeJaggiNow

The Sikh community, myself included, have serious concerns about the safety of Jagtar Singh Johal, a UK citizen who has been abducted, imprisoned and allegedly tortured by the police in Punjab, India.

On November 5th, he was presented in court and was placed in police remand for 5 days. On the 10th of November, this was extended by a further 4 days. The Indian police force are notoriously corrupt and it is not uncommon for torture during interrogations to be used to obtain false confessions. His family and the British High Commission have been denied access to him, thus his physical and mental well-being cannot be verified. However, Jagtar's legal advocate, Jaspal Singh, confirmed that Jagtar has been subjected to torture, stating that "[Jagtar's] legs were forcibly stretched to the point of tearing, and he has been electrocuted on his nipples, ears and penis.” Some media sources in India have reported that Jagtar had a hand in the murder of right-wing Hindu leaders, with no basis for their accusation other than the fact that he was vocal about the Sikh genocide of 1984 on social media. From my perspective:

If Indian officials have sufficient evidence and truly believe that Jagtar is not innocent, then he should have been given access to legal advice and access to the British High Commission from the start of his arrest – sources suggest that he was given access to a legal advocate after 10 days of remand.The UK government should show some concern over one of their citizens being abducted and tortured in an Indian prison. Particularly as the UK appears to have such a close diplomatic relationship with India.Raising awareness of a genocide should not be a crime, committing genocide should be.Millions of people (Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike) speak out against the state violence of 1984 which involved in the displacement, torture, rape and deaths of 10,000’s of people. Events such as the abduction of Jagtar seems like a way to scare people into silence.

How can you help? 

Raise awareness on social media, using #FreeJaggiNow.

Sign the petition: https://goo.gl/NiZR5r

Write to your MP. Here's a template for you to use: https://goo.gl/qGkGKz

Sources and extra reading:

Sikh PA provide updates on the case: https://goo.gl/QdNvQZ

Article in Sikh Siyasat, a Sikh news network based in Punjab: https://goo.gl/nqTuPH

Article in Hindustan Times article, showing what information is circulating in India: https://goo.gl/evs3us

Wikipedia page on 1984 anti-Sikh riots: https://goo.gl/GP8gLn Share, like, debate and keep up with new posts on the Worth A Think Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/WorthAThink