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Briton held in Indian prison over breaching lockdown rules

A British man has been detained in an Indian prison after being accused of breaching the country’s strict coronavirus lockdown rules.

Sohail Hughes, 29, had been on an extended holiday to visit family in the Gujarat region before undertaking a pilgrimage of mosques when he was detained last month.

His family, who have a launched a petition to have him freed, have claimed he is being unlawfully held by Indian officials.

Hughes’ sister, Aatika, said he was forced to take refuge in a mosque in Bhopal after being caught out by the swiftly implemented lockdown laws requiring people to stay off the streets.

Aatika, 35, says her brother, alongside dozens of other men, had his passport seized before being kept in quarantine for more than a month inside a hostel. While in quarantine Hughes has been repeatedly tested for Covid-19 and has always been negative.

Aatika said: “The Indian government gave the public four hours to get to where they needed to go, before all public transport was seized. Where were these foreigners supposed to go?

“However, at the same time many other people were in similar situations, stranded in yoga centres, temples and other such places with nowhere else to go but to have to wait to be repatriated. These people were free to go back to their homes, back to their countries, back to their families and loved ones, no questions asked.”

On Thursday, Hughes appeared in court in Bhopal, accused of spreading coronavirus and violating visa regulations after being caught in the mosque with other people. His bail application was rejected and he is now being kept in the Old Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh city.

There is uncertainty over his next court date, with Hughes’s family saying he has become a victim of the recent escalation in anti-Muslim sentiment in the country.

“We have been left devastated by his treatment. At least when he was in the hostel, in quarantine, we could speak with him but since he has been in jail there has been no contact and we have no idea when he will be able to speak to us again or anything about his next court date. We are so worried about him,” said Aatika.

Hughes, a joiner, who lives in Dewsbury with his wife and three-year-old child, flew to India in February and was due to return to the UK on 13 May. The British embassy was informed of his detention on 25 April, after he had been in quarantine for about 35 days.

In a Foreign Office (FCO) email to the family seen by the Guardian, a civil servant says she appreciates this must be a concerning time for the family but that neither the FCO nor the British high commission could interfere with legal processes in another country.

The email states: “We cannot get British nationals out of prison or detention, nor can we get special treatment for anyone because they are British. I would strongly advise that you consult with a local lawyer who will be able to advise on your options.”

In an official statement, the FCO confirmed that a consular team had been in direct with Hughes while he was in quarantine and have also been in close contact with his family to give them the latest updates.

An FCO spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man who has been detained in India and are in contact with the prison officials and local authorities.”

India has been in lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus since 24 March. When the prime minister, Narendra Modi, announced the measure, he did so with barely four hours’ notice. This led to hundreds of thousands of people trying to flee cities to go back to their villages and foreigners desperately trying to book flights out of the country.

In mid-April, the UK government organised charter flights for the thousands of British people stranded in the country, with planes departing to London from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Delhi, Goa and Mumbai.

A statement said people who were most vulnerable would be prioritised for seats on the flights. It said the number of people already registered for a flight meant the majority of the roughly 4,000 seats available were likely to be allocated to people already on waiting lists.