Kejriwal lost 2 kg in prison, being monitored by AIIMS, say Tihar sources

A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had lost 8.5 kg in prison, Tihar Jail sources on Monday, 15 July, said he had only lost 2 kg and he was being regularly monitored by a medical board of AIIMS.

The sources said the jail administration has written to the Delhi government's Home Department regarding the allegations levelled by AAP ministers and leaders, saying that such a narrative "confuses and misleads the public".

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said that with this, the Tihar authorities have accepted that Kejriwal has lost weight.

The AAP had on Sunday alleged that the BJP was conspiring to harm Kejriwal's health by keeping him in jail and that he was not getting the necessary medical attention as a diabetic.

Delhi cabinet minister Atishi had expressed concern over Kejriwal's "unexplained weight loss of 8.5 kg" since his arrest and claimed that his sugar level had dropped below 50 mg/dL more than five times in prison.

According to Kejriwal's health report shared by the Tihar sources, Kejriwal weighed 65 kg when he first came to prison on 1 April and 66 kg between 8 and 29 April.

When he returned to prison on 2 June after a 21-day bail, his weight was 63.5 kg.

"On 14 July, his weight was 61.5 kg. So, effectively, he lost 2 kg," an official source said.

According to the sources, Kejriwal is being provided home-cooked food but he has been regularly returning portions of it since 3 June.

A medical board of AIIMS has been constantly monitoring the chief minister and his wife Sunita Kejriwal remains in regular touch with the board, the sources said.

They said the jail administration has written to the Delhi government's Home Department rejecting the AAP's allegations regarding Kejriwal's health.

In its letter, the prison administration said that "such a narrative confuses and misleads the public with false information and ulterior motives with intent to browbeat the prison administration".

"The blood pressure and sugar levels and weight of the accused are regularly being monitored and he is provided adequate treatment for all his ailments and is regularly having home-cooked food thrice a day. These facts are brought on record in the light of the media vilification being carried out by vested interest groups," it said.

In a statement, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said Tihar authorities have accepted that Kejriwal's sugar levels dropped multiple times and that he has lost weight.

He claimed the AAP chief could go into a coma or suffer a brain stroke if his sugar levels drop while he is asleep.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 21 March in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy 2021-22. He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a corruption case related to the alleged scam from Tihar jail on 26 June.

Kejriwal was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday in the money laundering case but he remains in jail in connection with the CBI case.