New footage shows Satyendar Jain having salad, fruits, packed food in jail

Fresh footage of Aam Aadmi Party’s Satyendar Jain in Tihar jail that emerged on Wednesday (November 23) shows him eating raw vegetables, fruits and food packed in plastic containers, days after he moved a CBI court alleging that he was not being provided raw food as per his religious beliefs.

The 7.36-minute-long video, released by Tihar jail sources, shows Jain eating out of several plastic boxes. An attendant is seen bringing Jain another serving of a dish as the AAP leader munches on a cucumber. Later another attendant comes with a plateful of raw vegetables. The video shows footage of another day in which Jain is seen taking out a banana from a bag and eating it.

However, the purported videos are dated September 13, and October 1 and 3.

“The CCTV footage from Jain’s cell in Tihar negates his claims of not getting proper food in jail. He has been getting the food of his choice, including fruits and dry fruits, as the video shows,” jail sources said. They also said that contrary to Jain’s lawyers claim that he lost 28 kg during his time in jail, he has gained 8 kg. Earlier, sources from Jain’s side had claimed he had lost 2 kg after the jail authorities stopped providing him fruits and vegetables and a total of 28 kg during his time in prison.

Over the last few days a political storm had raged over a video that showed Jain getting massages in his cell in Tihar jail. While the AAP defended him by saying that he was getting physiotherapy following a spinal injury, it later came to light that the masseur was not a physiotherapist but a fellow inmate accused of raping his own daughter.

Jain on Monday had approached the CBI court seeking directions to jail authorities to provide him food according to his religious preferences including fruits and dry fruits and allow him access to medical facilities in prison.

The court on Tuesday sought the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) response to the plea.

Jain in his petition claimed that the jail administration had stopped providing him basic food that is partaken under his religion for the last 12 days. According to the plea filed in court by Jain, who was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case in May, he has been surviving on fruits, vegetables, seeds and dry fruits or dates for the last six months. He was purchasing these from his quota of ration available to all inmates. Jain is “a strict adherent of Jainism”, the application

(With inputs from agencies)