AAP flags Tihar doctors demanding rebuttal to allegations against Arvind Kejriwal

Tihar govt insists there is enough insulin in jails

New Delhi:

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today shared a letter written by the jail superintendent seeking a senior AIIMS doctor for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, refuting the jail authorities’ claim that Tihar Jail has adequate medical facilities.

AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj lashed out at the prison administration, accusing it of being erratic and reiterated the party’s claim that a conspiracy was hatched to cause Arvind Kejriwal’s “slow death” in jail.

Superintendent of Prisons Sanjay Baniwal, in a letter to AIIMS yesterday, asked the hospital to arrange a senior diabetes specialist for Mr Kejriwal.

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Soon after AAP ministers suddenly leveled the allegations, the prison administration said a senior doctor at AIIMS was consulted through video conferencing at the request of the chief minister’s wife Sunita Kejriwal.

“Following detailed consultation, Arvind Kejriwal was satisfied that there were no serious issues and was advised to continue taking prescribed medications, which will be regularly assessed and reviewed,” the government said in a statement.

Mr Bharadwaj and Delhi Minister Atish claimed yesterday that Mr Kejriwal was being pushed towards a “slow death” by refusing to provide him with insulin and consult a doctor.

Atishi said Mr Kejriwal was taking 50 units of insulin daily before being sent to prison. “A conspiracy is underway to assassinate Mr. Kejriwal in jail at the behest of the BJP. The chief minister has been taking insulin for 12 years. Is there any problem in the Tihar government giving him insulin injections?” she asked.

The Tihar government maintained that the prison pharmacy had enough insulin to “administer Mr Kejriwal’s injections if needed”.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case related to the Delhi government’s now-defunct excise tax policy.

Tihar reported that as per the medical records of RML Hospital, Mr Kejriwal “neither was informed of the need for any insulin injection nor indicated the need for any insulin”, adding that the chief minister’s health status was not confirmed on April 10 and April 15 Examined by medical experts.

Experts recommended oral anti-diabetic medication and “it is untrue that Mr Kejriwal was denied insulin injections at any time during his treatment”.

Medical experts, after examining Mr. Kejriwal, noted: “Considering all the parameters and vital signs of the undertrial prisoner (Mr. Kejriwal) since his detention in judicial custody, his blood sugar level is not alarming and is not required at the moment. Inject insulin.”

The ED told the court that despite Arvind Kejriwal suffering from type 2 diabetes, he continued to eat high-sugar foods such as mangoes and sweets every day, creating grounds for medical bail.

The government had earlier sought a diet plan for the AAP chief, saying Mr Kejriwal had been consuming high-sugar foods such as “sweets, laddoos, bananas, mangoes, fruit chaat, fried foods, namkeen, bhujia, sweet tea, poor people”. High-cholesterol foods such as aloe vera and pickles on a regular basis.”

However, Mr Kejriwal disputed the ED’s claims, claiming in court that the food he ate was in line with the diet chart prescribed by his doctor.