BJP targets AAP over video of Satyendar Jain getting massage in Tihar jail
A purpoted video of former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was circulated on social media which showed him getting a massage in his cell inside the Tihar jail
A war of words broke out between the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after a purpoted video of former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was circulated on social media which showed him getting a massage in his cell inside the Tihar jail.
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, reportedly recorded by a CCTV camera inside the prison on September 13.
While Delhi BJP leaders said they were on their way to file a police complaint against Jain, AAP senior leader and deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia accused the BJP of leaking the video and weaving a false narrative.
Sisodia said Jain was unwell and was being treated in prison for his illness. He said,“The BJP, as part of a conspiracy, got our colleague arrested. A person is unwell and being treated. The BJP leaked the tape, is weaving a false narrative and is making fun of the man. Jain has been in jail for 6 months. While in jail, he slipped and was injured in the spine. Due to this spine injury, he has undergone two surgeries and while discharging him, the doctors had recommended that physiotherapy should be provided. This is not a luxury body massage but a pressure therapy being provided to an injured person and law gives the right of treatment to every prisoner.”
Sisodia said that such treatment is provided in every jail in the country and that no rules were violated. “BJP leaders should read the jail manual,” he added.
However, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said that the video shows that Jain is getting a VIP treatment which should not be provided to a prisoner. “Why is this massage being provided to the prisoner? Why is Jain not in the jail uniform meant for prisoners? The video shows four people in Jain’s cell. Why are so many people being allowed in the cell? The chief minister should answer this,” he said.
At least 28 prison officials posted in Tihar jail number 7, where Jain is lodged, were transferred on Wednesday. On Monday, the superintendent, Ajit Kumar, was suspended for his alleged role in circumventing rules to give special facilities to Jain. Until his arrest earlier this year, Jain, former health and home minister, was also in-charge of the prisons.
The 28 officers transferred are those who were directly guarding or were in-charge of the cell where the former minister was lodged. Among those transferred were 2 deputy superintendents, 3 assistant superintendents, 7 head warders and 16 warders
Last month, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) sought a report from the Delhi chief secretary Naresh Kumar regarding allegations that Jain was availing ‘special treatment’ inside Tihar prisons in connivance with the jail authorities. The MHA sought the report after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a Delhi court that Jain was leading a luxurious lifestyle with facilities such as face, head and foot massages, fruits and salads as well as meeting his family members and the witnesses of the case in which he has been arrested.
Amid the allegations, director general (DG) prison, Sandeep Goel was transferred in the first week of November.
ED arrested Jain in May this year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The central agency’s probe against Jain is based on a 2017 case of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in which it was alleged that the AAP leader and his wife Poonam Jain had amassed disproportionate assets worth ₹1.47 crore between February 2015 and May 2017, which was 217.20 percent more than their known sources of income. The agency has also alleged that Jain set up shell companies to launder money between 2011 and 2016.