‘Arvind Kejriwal finally given insulin in Tihar jail after sugar levels touched 320’: AAP
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, April 23, was administered insulin inside Tihar jail after days of struggle, claimed the Aam Aadmi Party.
“Finally, the BJP and its jail administration came to their senses and gave INSULIN to CM Arvind Kejriwal in jail. CM Kejriwal’s sugar level had reached 320. This has been possible only due to the blessings of Lord Hanuman and the struggle of the people of Delhi. We have succeeded in delivering insulin to our Chief Minister,” the AAP said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Tihar jail officials, however, said Arvind Kejriwal was administered a “low dose” of insulin after his blood sugar levels spiked. His blood sugar level reading was found to be 217 around 7pm, following which the doctors at Tihar looking after him decided to give him the insulin, an official told news agency PTI.
“Kejriwal was given two units of low dose insulin on Monday evening on the advice of AIIMS doctors”, the Tihar official said.
“Yesterday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was administered low-dose insulin at Tihar Jail. His sugar levels were 217 yesterday. AIIMS team had said he can be administered low-dose insulin when the level crosses 200,” news agency ANI quoted a Tihar Jail official as saying.
AIIMS specialists, during a video conference with the chief minister on April 20, had advised Tihar doctors that insulin could be given to him if his sugar level crosses a certain level, he added.
The development comes a day after a Delhi court directed the AIIMS to constitute a medical board to examine Arvind Kejriwal to determine if he needs insulin to control his blood sugar levels and said the home-cooked food that the AAP national convenor is consuming is different from the diet chart prepared by his doctor.
Kaveri Baweja, a special judge for CBI and ED cases, passed the order while declining Arvind Kejriwal’s plea for a video consultation with his doctor in the presence of his wife Sunita Kejriwal.
Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday said, “Arvind Kejriwal is in Tihar jail for about 22 days. He has been saying for many days that his sugar level is increasing and there is no diabetes specialist in the jail. He has been demanding insulin. Today, the court’s decision made it clear that there is no diabetes specialist in Tihar jail.”
“This is a welcome step and has proved that whatever he was saying was true,” he said.
His Cabinet colleague Atishi said the court order proves that Kejriwal did not receive the right medical supervision in Tihar jail.
Arvind Kejriwal’s sugar level has been above 300 for the last 10 days and he has been continuously demanding insulin as it is the only resort to control his levels of sugar, Atishi earlier said.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) 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 April 1.
Meanwhile, the Delhi high court listed for hearing on May 15 the AAP leader’s petition challenging the summonses issued to him by the ED.