Justice For Surjit
Campaign for public accountability, equality and fair-play
"devastating inequality in the treatment of white Britons and non-white Britons"
BBC Documentary on missing British Asian Mother

Missing Mother's family accuses British Govt of gross inaction and racial discrimination
  1. The four year long, landmark case of Surjit Kaur Athwal comes to British television in a BBC documentary - "Britain my Britain". 
  2. This four part series looks at experiences of migrant families and individuals settled in Britain.  Surjit's programme shows on BBC 2 on Friday 2nd May at 11.35pm.  It profiles the profound issues that have surrounded her agonising case, and the impact on her British Panjaabi family (the Dhillons). 
  3. The programme highlights the family's anguish on key questions of inaction, delay and unequal effort, which have characterised the British government's handling of Surjit's case since her 'disappearance' in December 1998, in Panjaab (India).  The Dhillons cite other British cases, like Lucy Blackman, Kirsty Jones and Ian Stillman, as comparative examples.  They say, in each of these cases the British Foreign Minister has exerted substantial effort to seek inquiries and investigations from parallel governments (i.e.  Japan, Thailand and India) into the murders and miscarriages in these specific cases.  For example, Ian Stillman was convicted and imprisoned in India in 2001 on alleged drug offences.  Yet, despite this legal conviction (albeit controversial), the British Foreign Minister openly pressed the Indian government for Stillman's immediate release and safe return to Briton.  Jack Straw's personal ministerial intervention in this case has been widely acknowledged. 
  4. The Dhillons say that the above notable cases provide evidence of the British government's ability to positively and actively pursue a British case at senior government to government levels.  In Surjit's case this simply has not happened.  Her case has been left to linger and descend into obscurity.  Her family stress that, Stillman's case arose two years after Surjit's.  Yet, his was given immediate priority.  There was sustained British government pressure on the Indian government, resulting in Stillman's release in October 2002.  The Dhillon's, also, point to the case of Peter Bleach, a Briton imprisoned in India for terrorist offences.  The British Prime Minister has been personally pressing for Bleach's release, again inspite of his legal conviction for serious offences of 'terrorism'. 
  5. The Dhillon family say, but for the fact that they have assiduously campaigned for Surjit's rights as a British citizen, her case would have disappeared into oblivion.  Her brother and campaign co-ordinator, Jagdeesh Singh, stresses that: "Surjit was a full-fledged British national.  She deserves the attention and protection of the British government, exactly like other Britons."
  6. Last month, Surjit's MP, John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington), raised several searching questions in parliament.  An offer of a meeting has recently been received from Baroness Amos, Junior Foreign Minister.  Jagdeesh believes this offer has to be treated with caution.  He stresses that, "we have sought a meeting with Jack Straw (senior Foreign Minister) ever since Surjit's suspicious 'disappearance' four years ago".  He says this is in exact keeping with Mr Straw's meetings with the families of Lucy Blackman, Kirsty Jones and Ian Stillman.  Following each meeting, Straw has actively pursued their cases at senior ministerial level with parallel overseas ministers.  Jagdeesh says: "Not only has Mr Straw not been willing to meet with the us, he has never ever raised Surjit's case in ministerial talks and communications with India.  Instead, the British government has tinkered about at junior administrative levels with the Indian authorities, to no effect!" Jagdeesh says that, meeting with Baroness Amos represents an unacceptable demotion of Surjit's case to junior ranking ministers.  He says that this is one of the core critical points in the case.  "Mr Straw should be willing to meet with us.  Why is he not willing to discuss Surjit's case in the same way as other British cases? Why is Surjit's case being treated so differently and less importantly?"
  7. Jagdeesh Singh hopes that, the BBC documentary will help to inform the British public about the grave institutional iniquities which his family has experienced from senior levels of government.  He says, "Surjit's case reveals a devastating inequality in the treatment of white Britons and non-white Britons." The British government's handling of Surjit's case have highlighted striking issues which have immediate and burning significance for Britain's 6 million non-white Britons. 
  8. Jagdeesh Singh calls for the co-operation of the British government in rectifying the serious errors and omissions made so far.  He says, there is still hope of obtaining justice on Surjit's case through a positive effort by Jack Straw to press for a comprehensive investigation from the Indian government.  "This is easily within his means, as demonstrated in Ian Stillman's case.  It is a matter of serious intention and commitment, on the part of the British government."
27th April 2003 Press Release - Contact: Jagdeesh Singh 07971-489775

See also:  gb021203.htm