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Protest over detention of Scots Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal

BBC Protest in LondonBBC
A protest was held in London to coincide with a visit from the Indian prime minister

Supporters of a Scottish man detained in India on suspicion of murder have staged a protest in London.

Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, was arrested in Punjab last November.

Campaigners said the 31-year-old Sikh has been held without charge and tortured. Indian authorities said he is being investigated over seven counts of aiding and abetting of murder.

The protest coincided with the arrival in the UK of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He is in London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May raised Mr Johal's case with Prime Minister Modi when they met on Wednesday morning.

Mr Johal's brother, Gurpreet Singh, is among those who travelled from Glasgow to take part in the protest in Parliament Square.

His family have said Mr Johal was a peaceful activist who had contributed to a website remembering the 1984 massacre at the Golden Temple at Amritsar but was not a militant.

He was arrested in Punjab on 4 November, just over a fortnight after his wedding.

Jagtar Singh Johal
Mr Johal has been accused of conspiracy to murder Hindu leaders and being involved in the murder of a Christian priest

His supporters claim he has had limited access to his family and to a lawyer, and they have also said reports of torture have been ignored.

Charandeep Singh, from Glasgow Gurdwara, who was among those protesting in London, told BBC Scotland: "What we are asking and urging the government of India and the authorities to do is to actually present the evidence and actually outline what the official charge is.

"If we understand what the official charge is, if there is one, then we are able to present a case, and he can actually rightfully defend himself."

The Indian High Commission has previously said each of the cases against Mr Johal was proceeding "strictly as per due process of Indian law, as in any mature democratic set-up".

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister raised Mr Johal's case with Prime Minister Modi this morning and the government will continue to make representations on his behalf until our concerns are addressed.

"Our High Commission staff in India have visited Mr Johal 10 times since his detention, most recently on 22 March, and the Foreign Office are in regular contact with his family."