>Ost316 at 21:18, 21 June 2021

2021-06-21T21:18:15Z

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{{Update|date=May 2021|reason=What happened to the court case or investigations?}}

The '''arrest of Jagtar Singh Johal''' is a detainment that occurred in November 2017 in [[Punjab]], India.

== Arrest ==

In November 2017, while in India for his wedding, '''Jagtar Singh Johal'''—aka "Jaggi"<ref name=":0" />—was detained. Johal is a [[British Indians|British]] Sikh who ran a website titled ''Never Forget [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|1984]]''.<ref>{{cite web|date=15 November 2017|title=Targeted killings in Punjab: UK resident Johal was on police radar for a year|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/targeted-killings-in-punjab-uk-resident-johal-was-on-police-radar-for-a-year/story-2hxtp6Knu5SSZ2sguuNTPM.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128132530/https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/targeted-killings-in-punjab-uk-resident-johal-was-on-police-radar-for-a-year/story-2hxtp6Knu5SSZ2sguuNTPM.html|archive-date=28 January 2018|access-date=28 January 2018|work=Ravinder Vasudeva|publisher=[[Hindustan Times]]|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=17 January 2018|title=NIA again gets Jaggi's custody for five days|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/nia-again-gets-jaggis-custody-for-five-days/articleshow/62545097.cms|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180601073243/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/nia-again-gets-jaggis-custody-for-five-days/articleshow/62545097.cms|archive-date=1 June 2018|access-date=28 January 2018|work=Manish Sirhindi|publisher=[[The Times of India]]|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=9 December 2017|title=Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal filmed in police custody|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-42293490|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102185141/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-42293490|archive-date=2 January 2018|access-date=28 January 2018|work=[[BBC News]]|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|date=25 January 2018|title=Detained Sikh activist's family speak out|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-42802562|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125094457/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-42802562|archive-date=25 January 2018|access-date=28 January 2018|work=[[BBC News]]|df=dmy-all}}</ref> He was accused of involvement in the assassination of multiple Hindu Leaders of [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]] in Punjab. The [[National Investigation Agency]] (NIA) handling the case have filed an over-1,000-page charge sheet, with charges against Johal related to terrorism. According to the NIA, [[Dera Sacha Sauda]] chief [[Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh]] was the prime target in one of his alleged conspiracies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/targeted-killings-jagtar-singh-johal-remanded-in-three-day-custody-of-nia-4990626/|title=Targeted killings: Jagtar Singh Johal remanded in three-day custody of NIA|date=20 December 2017|access-date=27 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215020509/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/targeted-killings-jagtar-singh-johal-remanded-in-three-day-custody-of-nia-4990626/|archive-date=15 February 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== Reason for arrest ==

Johal was in touch with the alleged masterminds of targeted killings, Pakistan-based Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist Harmeet Singh aka "PhD", and UK-based Gursharanbir Singh, wanted by Punjab Police in the 2009 killing of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat leader Rulda Singh, who was gunned down in Patiala. Police also claim to have "clinching evidence" that Johal was in touch with radical Sikh leaders abroad and had met KLF terror operative Harminder Singh Mintoo in France before his arrest. Investigators say that Johal arranged funds to obtain weapons in India for terrorist acts. The funds, according to police, were made available to Taljeet Singh aka Jimmy Singh who also lived in UK and has also been arrested. Jimmy in turn procured weapons from his Jammu-based cousin.
Investigators say that Johal also ran a website along with another UK-based person called neverforget84.com where he uploaded posts to fuel hate and radical ideas. They suspect that Johal was likely to have made good money through "click on the links".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/targeted-killings-jagtar-singh-johal-remanded-in-three-day-custody-of-nia-4990626/|title=Targeted killings: Jagtar Singh Johal remanded in three-day custody of NIA|date=20 December 2017|access-date=27 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215020509/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/targeted-killings-jagtar-singh-johal-remanded-in-three-day-custody-of-nia-4990626/|archive-date=15 February 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Numerous sources indicate that he was falsely detained and forced to sign blank statements and face torture in prison.<ref>{{cite web|date=29 November 2017|title=Why diaspora Sikhs are fighting to 'Free Jaggi'|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/why-diaspora-sikhs-are-fighting-to-free-jaggi-4960737/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129004424/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/why-diaspora-sikhs-are-fighting-to-free-jaggi-4960737/|archive-date=29 January 2018|access-date=28 January 2018|work=Navjeevan Gopal|publisher=[[The Indian Express]]|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> [[Sikh]] human rights groups in [[Punjab]] and the [[Punjabi diaspora|diaspora]], as well as several U.K. [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs), have cried foul over the arrest and [[police brutality|brutal treatment]] of Johal, as the [[Law enforcement in India|Indian police]] have been accused of torturing him whilst in custody.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/jagtar-singh-johal-a-scottish-sikh-in-a-punjab-jail/articleshow/61798950.cms | title=Jagtar Singh Johal: A Scottish Sikh in a Punjab jail | publisher=[[The Economic Times]] | work=Ishani Duttagupta | date=26 November 2017 | access-date=28 January 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128132947/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/jagtar-singh-johal-a-scottish-sikh-in-a-punjab-jail/articleshow/61798950.cms | archive-date=28 January 2018 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all | last1=Duttagupta | first1=Ishani }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The Indian government claims that few [[List of ethnic minority politicians in the United Kingdom|Indian-origin British MPs]] are supporting Johal due to [[Votebank politics|vote-bank politics]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Chaudhury|first=Dipanjan Roy|date=13 July 2018|title=India rejects UK leniency plea for 'terrorist' Jagtar Singh Johal|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/64969228.cms|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727054453/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/64969228.cms|archive-date=27 July 2018|access-date=26 July 2018|newspaper=The Economic Times|df=dmy-all}}</ref> <ref name=":0">{{cite web | url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/why-diaspora-sikhs-are-fighting-to-free-jaggi-4960737/ | title=Why diaspora Sikhs are fighting to 'Free Jaggi' | publisher=[[The Indian Express]] | work=Navjeevan Gopal | date=29 November 2017 | access-date=28 January 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129004424/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/why-diaspora-sikhs-are-fighting-to-free-jaggi-4960737/ | archive-date=29 January 2018 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web | url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/indian-officials-banned-sikh-gurdwaras-180110101549090.html | title=Why are Indian officials banned from Sikh Gurdwaras? | publisher=[[Al Jazeera]] | date=11 January 2018 | access-date=28 January 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127190016/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/indian-officials-banned-sikh-gurdwaras-180110101549090.html | archive-date=27 January 2018 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[2016–17 Targeted killings in Punjab, India]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:2017 in India]]
[[Category:Human rights abuses in India]]

{{Humanrights-stub}}

Arrest of Jagtar Singh Johal - Revision history

>Ost316 at 21:18, 21 June 2021