Tihar hits back at AAP’s ‘misleading’ claims about Kejriwal’s health

The jail administration said false claims were made with “ulterior motives with intent to brow beat the prison administration”

New Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi minister Atishi on their campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. (HT File Photo)

The Tihar jail administration on Monday rejected the allegations made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claiming “permanent damage” to the health of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying that the AIIMS medical board has been constantly monitoring his health and his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, remains in constant touch with the board.

In a report to the home department, following allegations made by Delhi minister Atishi on the CM’s health, the jail administration said “baseless allegations” have been made by the ministers of the Delhi government, legislators and members of Parliament. It said that “such a narrative confuses and misleads the public” with false information and “ulterior motives with intent to brow beat the prison administration.”

However, AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said that the jail administration admitted that Kejriwal’s sugar level decreased multiple times and he also lost weight. “If the sugar level decreases, one can go into coma during sleep and there is a risk of brain stroke. Making the medical report of any patient public is an offence and several times jail, administration has issued CM’s medical report. This proves that there is conspiracy being hatched to play with life of Arvind Kejriwal,” Singh said.

Delhi minister Atishi in a press conference on Monday evening said that even the report of the Tihar administration exposes the conspiracy of the BJP. “A conspiracy is being hatched to completely ruin the health of Arvind Kejriwal in the jail. BJP has stooped so low that this morning they took some documents from the Tihar administration and released them arguing that Arvind Kejriwal has no health issues. But even the report of the Tihar Jail’s medical officer made it clear that Arvind Kejriwal’s life is being played with in the jail,” she said.

AAP highlighted that a section of report by senior medical officer dated July 14 stated that “inmate patient is a diagnose and follow up case of Type 2 diabetes.....The inmate patient was suffering from wight loss and few episodes of hypoglycaemia.”

Atishi said that the chief minister’s sugar level even reached 50. “This is so dangerous that when the sugar level reaches this level, the patient is admitted to the hospital because at this sugar level,” she added.

According to the jail administration’s report, Kejriwal weighed 63.5kg on June 2, when he surrendered after completing the bail granted for Lok Sabha poll campaigning. Currently, he weighs 61.5kg and his weight on April 1, when he was first brought to Tihar jail, was 65kg, the report said.

“As per the report of the senior medical officer, the loss of weight may be due to consumption of less quantity of food or low-calorie intake,” the report said.

HT has seen a copy of the medical report which details daily weight blood sugar levels and the meals being consumed by the CM.

Prison officials alleged that Kejriwal, on occasion, also returned food sent from his home since he returned to jail after campaigning.

The Delhi CM was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged corruption case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy. Although the Supreme Court granted him bail in the ED case, he remains in jail as he has been simultaneously arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a case in the same matter.

“Further, the accused is under supervision of the Senior Medical Officer, CJ-02 round the clock. The health of the UTP (undertrial prisoner) is under continuous monitoring and his vitals are being checked daily. The UTP is being reviewed by Jail visiting Medical Specialist Doctor of Tihar jail for complaints posed by him and is administered medicines, if required,” the jail report said.

The report added: “At present, the inmate Blood Sugar is being monitored as advised from the medical board and he is being provided treatment and diet as advised from the medical board, his vitals are within normal limits at present.”

BJP Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva said AAP’s claims about Kejriwal’s health were fake. “It is the political weight of Kejriwal which is going down due to the allegations of corruption and the role he has played in liquor scam. As far as his weight in jail is concerned, a panel of doctors from AIIMS is regularly monitoring him and he is being provided medicines timely. He is being given home-cooked food, which he is eating. We are being informed that he himself has started a low diet and whenever he is about to appear before court, the AAP prepares an ecosystem around his health condition.”