Scot arrested abroad claims Indian police threatened to burn him alive

A SIKH man who was arrested abroad claims police tortured and threatened to burn him alive.

Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, was forced into an unmarked police car in November while in India.

Officers claimed he was involved in a plot to murder a Hindu nationalist leader who was shot dead last year.

Ravinder Gosain was killed in October 2017 by two assassins riding a yellow motorcycle. He was shot twice and died instantly.

However, Mr Johal maintains his innocence and said he was forced to sign blank sheets of paper and give dictated statements during interviews.

The 31-year-old has been a campaigner for the rights of India’s Sikh minority in the past.

Letters from Mr Johal state that the torture by Indian police “took place intermittently”, adding: “Electric shocks were administered by placing crocodile clips on my ear lobes, nipples and private parts.”

He also claims officers threatened to burn him alive if he did not confess.

Indian authorities have denied torturing Mr Johal and said they have “sufficient evidence” against him.

The Foreign Office said Mr Johal was being visited regularly and it had raised concerns over his treatment.