Kejriwal resorting to 'willful low calorie intake' in jail: Delhi LG in letter

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena alleges CM Arvind Kejriwal, in Tihar jail, is willfully not consuming his prescribed medical diet and medicines, despite sufficient home-cooked food being provided, per Raj Niwas.

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody, may deliberately not be taking the medical diet and medicines prescribed to him, according to a Raj Niwas communication.

The LG in a letter to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar cited a report by the Superintendent (Prison) regarding the health status of Kejriwal, to allege that there were several instances of "willful low calorie intake" by the CM, despite sufficient home-cooked food being provided to him.

No reaction was immediately available from the AAP government on the development.

The LG office said Saxena has suggested to the prison authorities that it may advise the CM to adhere to the prescribed dosage of medicine and insulin, apart from the diet specified since he has a history of Type-II Diabetes Mellitus.

The Aam Aadmi Party has accused the BJP and its government at the Centre of "conspiring" to cause permanent damage to Kejriwal's health in jail and has claimed the leaders lost weight and suffered a fall in blood sugar level.

The party has also claimed that Kejriwal could even have slipped into a coma and have brain damage after, it alleged, he suffered a drop in his blood sugar level up to 50 mg/dL five times in a night.

According to the LG's letter to the Chief Secretary, the diet monitoring chart indicates that between June 6 and July 13, the CM did not fully consume the prescribed diet for all three meals of the day.

"The report also suggests loss of weight (now 61.5 kg which earlier was 63.5 Kg on the date of surrender - June 2, 2024). Prima facie, it appears to be due to less calorie intake," the letter read.

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On June 18, insulin appears to have not been administered to him or was not recorded by the prison authorities in the report, it said.

There are also significant variations between the glucometer test reading and the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) reading on most days, said the LG office, adding, Kejriwal's glucometer reading prior to lunch was 104 mgl, while the CGMS reading done before lunch at 12.30 PM was 82 mgl on June 19.

"Glaring discrepancies between glucometer test readings and CGMS readings need to be verified by appropriate medical authorities," it said.

According to the LG office, the CM did not consume the prescribed diet during all three meals on July 6.

He was administered five units of insulin before breakfast, four units before lunch and two units before dinner, it said.

The prescribed diet was again not consumed on July 7 and on that day five units of insulin was administered before breakfast, four units before lunch and "insulin before dinner was refused by the CM," it said, citing the prison report.