British MP supports Johal 

Jalandhar: British MP Martin Docherty-Hughes today extended support to UK-based NRI Jagtar Singh Johal, an alleged conspirator in the seven targeted killings in the state over the past year and a half.Hughes alleged that the police and other authorities were withholding information from Johal’s family following his arrest. “This has been an extremely distressing time for my constituent’s family and I am doing everything in my power to support them as their MP. I have raised this as a matter of urgency with the British High Commission of India and the Foreign Office,” Hughes tweeted today.Meanwhile, the Sikh Federation, UK, has accused the Punjab Police of targeting Johal because of his work that highlighted the 1984 Sikh “genocide”.“A British-born man has been unlawfully abducted by the Indian police. He has been refused legal rep. This is a breach of human rights,” the federation said, launching the “Free Jaggi campaign” on Twitter. The campaign is also circulating a statement reportedly released by the Johal’s family residing in Glasgow.According to the letter, his family in the UK has complained to the British High Commission about the alleged police harassment. Gurpreet Singh, Johal’s elder brother, said, “He was not even named in the FIR. This raises questions that his detention is opportunist in the absence of any evidence against him.”A senior official at the Punjab Bureau of Investigation claimed that the police had arrested Johal only after establishing his direct role in the conspiracy. The official confirmed that Johal’s family had sought consular access through the British High Commission for which they were asked to approach the Ministry of External Affairs. Johal’s family plans to move a petition to Amnesty International.

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