THE family of imprisoned Scot Jagtar Singh Johal have called on foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt to bring him home.

Brother Gurpreet Singh Johal, who leads the Free Jaggi Now campaign, has urged Mr Hunt to visit his family in Dumbarton in a bid to develop a strategy to free his brother from an Indian prison.

Protests against the Indian authorities were held in Brimingham and Edinburgh earlier this week but after the 31-year-old's request for a private medical assessment was pushed back another three months, Gurpreet believes only Mr Hunt and the Foreign Commission Office can end Jaggi's ordeal.

He told the Evening Times: "Boris Johnson never got round to meeting us but Jeremy Hunt gives us more hope that he will do his job.

"He and the Foreign Commission Office should at least speak to [the Indian authorities] as there's been a clear breach of human rights violations. He's been imprisoned since November but only charged in July.

"We're hoping that things will start to progress but we do need the FCO to get their finger out and give us the support that they promised."

As previously reported in the Evening Times, the Singh Johal family have campaigned for Jagtar, who is known as Jaggi, to be released since his arrest in November, while shopping with his wife just days after their wedding.

Police put a hood over his head and dragged him into unmarked car, prompting brother Gurpreet to brand the move a kidnapping, before he was moved to an Indian prison.

Since then there have been reports of torture but fear of persecution has meant Jagtar's family are unable to visit him to confirm the allegations.

Earlier this month, he was charged with financing the killing of Hindu nationalist leader Ravinder Gosain, who was shot dead in October last year.

A move which prompted around 500 people to take to the streets in protest on July 23.

Gurpreet added: "We had around 100 people in Edinburgh and between 300 and 400 in Birmingham protesting to gather more momentum.

"There were quite a few people who hadn't heard of Jaggi and now they do so that's all we can ask for.

"This is the only thing keeping me going, this support that I've got. To get a campaign going in such a short space of time and have the Prime Minister discuss it is incredible. We've done well but we've just to get him out now and we need help to do that."

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said continues to request a private medical assessment.

He added: “Our staff continue to support a British man and his family following his detention in Punjab.

"We continue to visit him regularly and to raise concerns with the Government of India, including allegations of mistreatment.”