UN group calls for the release for Khalistani terrorist from Tihar Jail

New Delhi, May 11: A United Nations group has called for the immediate release of British national Jagtar Singh, alias Jaggi Johal, a terror accused with criminal cases against him being probed by the NIA and the Punjab Police.

 

 

Johal was arrested on November 4, 2017, from Jalandhar by the Punjab Police for his alleged role in targeted killings reported from April 2016 to October 2017, including the murder of RSS leader Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja (Retd). He is yet to stand trial, in any case, he stands accused and is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.

 

 

 

Now, the United Nation’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has said that Johal was “abducted” and “tortured” in 2017, adding that the probe agencies looking into his case have failed to produce any evidence against him. The report by the UN group reads: “Johal is a follower of the Sikh faith. He is an online activist and contributed to a magazine and website documenting the persecution of the Sikh religious minority in India…On 4 November 2017, after his wedding in Jalandhar, Punjab, Johal was abducted by 15 unidentified men in Rama Mandi, Jalandhar. The men did not identify themselves as law enforcement officers. They did not present a warrant for Johal’s arrest and did not state the reasons why he was being taken. Between 4 and 7 November 2017, police interrogated and tortured Johal, including using electric shocks, forcing his limbs into painful positions, and depriving him of sleep. He was also forced to sign blank papers…Despite Johal having been in detention for three years and three months, the (probe) agency has not commenced trials in any of these nine cases and has not produced any admissible evidence.”

 

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Calling his detention arbitrary, the report adds, “According to UN working group, the deprivation of liberty of Jagtar Singh Johal, being in contravention of articles 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (1), 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 9, 14, 18, 19, 21 and 28 of the Covenant, is arbitrary….The Working Group considers that taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be to release Johal immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.” A Punjab Police official, associated with the first case registered against Jaggi at Bagapurana, however, said, “Matter is sub-judice and we can’t comment on it. Punjab Police had cracked a difficult case. All the procedures were followed in arrest and Jaggi Johal was never tortured. Punjab Police is a professional force. NIA is also investigating. All should wait for the court to deliver its verdict. Our case has no flaws.”