Scottish Man “Tortured” Into False Confession in Indian Prison

Scottish Man "Tortured" To Make False Confession in Indian Prison

Jagtar Johal Singh, from Dumbarton, has been detained for three years without a conviction - Image Source: Twitter

A SCOTTISH man who has been held for three years in an Indian prison without conviction claims he was tortured into signing a false confession.

Jagtar Singh Johal, a 33-year old from Dumbarton in western Scotland, has spent the last three years in Delhi’s Tihar prison. Authorities claim that Johal is a member of the Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF) – a Sikh “terrorist gang” –  and have charged him with funding a conspiracy to assassinate leading Hindu nationalists in India.

Johal, who denies all charges and claims he is a peaceful activist, told the BBC that he had been forced to sign a blank confession and make a scripted statement on Indian TV by authorities. He spoke of being electrocuted multiple times a day in his nipples, earlobes, and “private parts” – claiming he was often unable to walk after the torture. India denies the allegations of mistreatment, and the BBC has been unable to verify his claims.

In India, prisoners can be held for up to 10 years before they are ever even convicted in a process known as “under trial”. At the end of 2019, 82% of inmates in Johal’s Tihar jail have yet to be convicted of their alleged crimes.

The UK Home Secretary, Dominic Raab, has said that he raised Johal’s case with Indian officials during an official visit to the country. “We have consistently raised concerns about his case with the Government of India, including allegations of torture and mistreatment and his right to a fair trial,” said the UK Commonwealth and Development Office in a statement.


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Oisin Sweeney

Oisin is an Irish writer based in Seville, the sunny capital of Andalucia. After starting his working life as a bookseller, he moved into journalism and cut his teeth as a reporter at one of Ireland's biggest news websites. Since joining Euro Weekly News in November, he has enjoyed covering the latest stories from Seville, Spain and further afield - with special interests in crime, cybersecurity, and European politics. Anyone who can pronounce his name first try gets a free cerveza...

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