Kejriwal stopped taking insulin months before arrest, claim Tihar officials

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had stopped taking insulin months before his arrest and is on a basic anti-diabetes oral medicine, officials said on Saturday, 20 April, citing a report by the Tihar Jail administration to Lt Governor VK Saxena.

In response, AAP leader Atishi said the report has "exposed" the BJP's "conspiracy".

"At the behest of the BJP, a conspiracy is underway to kill Kejriwal in jail. The chief minister has been taking insulin for 12 years, what is the problem for the Tihar administration to give insulin to him?" she asked.

The Delhi minister also claimed that Kejriwal used to take 50 units of insulin daily before he was sent to jail.

Kejriwal -- who is under the care of a Telangana-based private doctor for diabetes -- stopped taking insulin a few months ago and, at the time of his arrest, he was on a basic anti-diabetes oral tablet called Metformin, the officials said, citing the Tihar report.

During his medical check-ups in Tihar Jail, Kejriwal told doctors that he had been taking insulin "since the last few years and stopped taking it a few months back", the report said.

Kejriwal was arrested on 21 March by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy. He has been lodged in Tihar jail since 1 April.

According to the medical records from RML Hospital, Kejriwal was "neither advised any insulin nor any requirement of any insulin was indicated", the Tihar report said and added that the chief minister's health was reviewed by a medicine specialist on 10 April and 15 April.

The specialist advised oral anti-diabetic drugs and it is "incorrect to state that Kejriwal was denied insulin at any point of time" during his treatment, it said.

The medicine specialist, after examining Kejriwal, noted, "Considering all parameters and vitals of undertrial prisoner (Kejriwal) since his lodgment in judicial custody, his blood sugar levels are not alarming, and administration of insulin is not required as of now."

The Tihar administration, in a letter to AIIMS seeking a diet plan for the AAP chief, said Kejriwal had been consuming high-sugar food such as "sweets, laddoos, bananas, mangoes, fruit chaat, fried food, namkeen, bhujia, sweetened tea, poori-aloo, pickles and other high cholesterol food on a regular basis", the report said.

The diet plan provided by AIIMS has "strictly prohibited" most of the food items he is eating, it added.

Kejriwal is only allowed to consume 20 ml of oil per day in his food.

The Tihar administration has said that, according to a government circular, no referral can be made to any private hospital, as is being demanded by Kejriwal for videoconferencing with his doctor.

The administration submitted in its report that there is adequate availability of insulin in the jail dispensary and it can be administered to Kejriwal "as and when required", the officials added.