Tihar Prison Responds to AAP Accusation of Inconsistency in Claims about Arvind Kejriwal

AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the jail administration and accused them of indecisiveness. The party claimed that a conspiracy was underway for Arvind Kejriwal’s “slow death” in prison. Sanjay Baniwal, Director General of Prisons, requested AIIMS to arrange a senior diabetologist for Mr. Kejriwal. The jail administration stated that a senior doctor from AIIMS consulted Mr. Kejriwal via video conferencing and assured him that there was no serious concern.

Bharadwaj and Delhi Minister Atishi alleged that Mr. Kejriwal is being pushed towards “slow death” by being denied insulin and consultations with his doctors. They accused the Tihar administration of conspiring to kill Mr. Kejriwal in jail. The Tihar administration asserted that there is adequate availability of insulin in the jail dispensary and it can be administered to Mr. Kejriwal as and when required. Mr. Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy.

The medical records from RML Hospital contradicted the claim that Mr. Kejriwal was denied insulin at any point during his treatment. According to the records, Mr. Kejriwal’s blood sugar levels were not alarming, and administration of insulin was not required as of the review dates. The ED claimed that Mr. Kejriwal was consuming high-sugar food daily despite having type 2 diabetes, to create grounds for medical bail. The administration requested a diet plan for Mr. Kejriwal and listed the high-sugar foods he allegedly consumed.

Mr. Kejriwal refuted these claims, stating that the food he consumed was in conformity with the diet chart prepared by his doctor.