3 officials at AAP minister Satyendar Jain’s cell suspended, say prison staff

The transfer and suspension of prison officials have come in the backdrop of allegations by the ED that Jain received special treatment in jail, including face, leg and back massages, access to home-cooked food, and meeting visitors in his cell

At least three prison officials posted at the Tihar jail cell where Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Satyendar Jain is lodged, have been suspended, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday.

A CCTV video shows jailed Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain getting a head massage inside Tihar Jail, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI)

A prison officer, on condition of anonymity, said the three men who were suspended on Friday -- two head warders and one warder -- were attached to the office of jail 7 superintendent Ajit Kumar

Kumar had been suspended on Monday for allegedly circumventing prison rules and giving special facilities to Jain, who till his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in May, held the prisons department portfolio in the Delhi government.

“This is part of the clean-up of jail 7. These three officials were directly taking orders from the former jail superintendent. So far, four officials have been suspended and 28 transferred from the jail 7,” said the prison officer quoted above, adding that the transfers occurred on Thursday on orders of the prison’s new director general, Sanjay Beniwal.

Among those transferred were 2 deputy superintendents, 3 assistant superintendents, 7 head warders and 16 warders, the officer said.

The transfer and suspension of prison officials have come in the backdrop of allegations by the ED that Jain received special treatment in jail, including face, leg and back massages, access to home-cooked food, and meeting visitors in his cell.

“All prison officials who were around Jain have been changed. Only jail officials with a clean record are guarding him. This will ensure, no person is able to get special facilities in jail. We are also checking list of visitors to verify if rules have been flouted there too,” the prison officer added.

A video purportedly showing Jain getting a massage inside the Tihar jail surfaced on social media on Saturday, leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to accuse the jailed minister of receiving “VIP treatment” in prison, a charge that the AAP rejected, arguing that the leader was being given physiotherapy for a spinal injury.