Mosquitoes, books and newspapers are giving Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal company inside his 15-foot-by-11-foot solitary cell in Tihar jail.
However, Kejriwal does not miss his morning and evening walks and chats with prison staff, sources said.
Medical help is available round the clock for the high-profile, diabetic prisoner, sources added.
“His sugar level is fluctuating and that’s why he is undergoing regular checkups to ensure there are no complications,” said a prison official, adding medical staff had been instructed to provide him with bananas, glucose and candies in case of hypoglycemia or a sudden fall in sugar level that can be life-threatening.
On his first day in jail on Monday, mosquitoes gave the Delhi chief minister a sleepless night. “Next morning, during roll call at 6am he complained that he could not sleep because of mosquito bites. We have now provided him a net,” said the prison official, adding he has also been provided a mattress, blanket and pillow.
“He (Kejriwal) is being treated like a normal prisoner and is not being given any VIP treatment. But some relaxation has been made considering his medical condition,” one of the jail wardens said.
Kejriwal, the first serving chief minister to be arrested in independent India, is lodged in jail No. 2, the high-security ward of Asia’s biggest prison. The cell has a soft bed, pillows, a TV and a western-style toilet, sources said.
Sources said five regular visitors including his wife and children are allowed to meet him daily. He has also been allowed home-cooked food for health reasons.
The jail houses over 14,000 prisoners, three-fourths of them undertrials.
“After the roll call in the morning, the Delhi chief minister does yoga and meditation for one-and-a-half hours without fail before going out for his morning walk. During the day, he spends most of his time reading books and newspapers. He also maintains a diary,” the jail warden said.
He is very mild-mannered and well-behaved and “has regular adda (chats) with prison officials”, the warden said.
“On Tuesday, he told us that the case against him has been fabricated to prevent him from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls. He said he was a victim of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political vendetta and the false case against him was aimed only at humiliating him for opposing the government’s policies,” another prison official said.
“He is very popular among inmates. As he was being led to his cell on Monday, some even shouted slogans in his favour,” the official said.
In jail, prisoners wake up at 5am, followed by a roll call at 6am. Breakfast is at 7am. Lunch is between 11am and 12pm, followed by some time allotted for meeting visitors. Dinner is served early at 6.30pm and they are locked again at 7pm after the mandatory head count.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy. He was in ED custody before he was sent to judicial custody on Monday.
