UK intelligence agencies are accused of tip-off that led to the torture of Jagtar Singh Johal, a British citizen who was kidnapped and allegedly tortured by Punjab police.
In 2017, Dumbarton native Jagtar Singh Johal was allegedly pushed into an unmarked automobile while travelling in India, according to his family.
Then, according to him, he was subjected to days of torture, including electrocution. Since that time, he has been in custody.
His situation has been brought up by several British prime ministers, although the Indian government disputes that he was tortured or otherwise abused.
As a vocal advocate for Sikh human rights and an active blogger, Mr. Johal is alleged to have caught the notice of the Indian government.
He was formally charged with murder conspiracy and affiliation with a terrorist gang in May. Next month, he will be given a complete list of the allegations brought against him, including the possibility of the death penalty.
Although he denies any guilt, the Indian authorities claim the accusations are connected to Sikh nationalism.
The BBC has now seen documents that the human rights organisation Reprieve claims is convincing proof that his arrest was the result of a tip from British intelligence.
The UK government has stated that it won’t comment on a current legal matter.
Reprieve claims that it has connected a number of facts about his case to a particular allegation of mistreatment that was documented in a report by the body in charge of monitoring the intelligence agencies.
The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO) report claims that “during an inquiry, MI5 transferred intelligence to a liaison partner via the Secret Intelligence Service” (MI6).
“The liaison partner in their nation arrested the subject of the intelligence. The man claimed that he had been tortured when speaking to the British consular official.
Despite the fact that Mr. Johal isn’t mentioned in the report, Reprieve’s investigators are adamant that the facts corroborate his claim given the relevant dates, the lobbying by British prime ministers, and the supporting information covered in the Indian press.
According to a 2017 article in the Hindustan Times, Mr. Johal had “came under the scanner” when “a source in the UK” gave the Punjab police “vague information” of a crucial guy named “Johal.”
However, according to his brother Gurpreet, who spoke to the BBC, no unlawful behaviour had come to his attention.
Mr. Johal is being detained in a jail in Delhi. He claims that after being detained, he was held without contact with anyone, subjected to hours of violent interrogation, and was first denied access to legal counsel or British diplomatic staff.
According to him, he was forced to sign blank pieces of paper that were later used as a false confession against him.
During a visit to India in April of this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed to have brought up Mr. Johal’s case with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. Theresa May, his predecessor, brought up the issue with the Indian government as well.
On August 12, Mr. Johal filed a lawsuit in the High Court against the Foreign Office, the Home Office, and the attorney general, claiming that the UK intelligence services had improperly exchanged material with the Indian government when there was a chance he may be subjected to torture.
According to Reprieve, this case indicates that the government has not addressed persistent problems with its policy on torture and the death penalty and has not learned much from mistakes made in the past, like the MI6 tip-off that resulted in the extradition and torture of Libyan dissident Abdulhakim Belhaj.
The National Security Bill needs to be changed, according to MP Steve Baker, who responded to the claims by saying: “This horrific situation, where UK intelligence cooperation has been linked to brutal torture, underlines plainly why.”
It would be improper to comment on an ongoing legal matter, the Foreign Office responded on behalf of the three accused government ministries.