Arvind Kejriwal’s life in Tihar jail: ‘Seems dazed’, sweeps his cell; 2 slices of bread for breakfast

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was sent to Tihar Jail after a court remanded him in judicial custody in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy, is spending most of his time meditating, reading books and doing yoga in his cell, reports claimed.

Arvind Kejriwal wakes up early, sweeps his cell, which also has an extension area where a television set has been mounted on a wall, and then does yoga. He takes two slices of bread and tea for breakfast and then walks around the area, The Print reported citing jail sources.

“He (Arvind Kejriwal) seems dazed, (and) a little confused. He is still trying to adjust to his surroundings inside the prison,” a prison source told the news portal.

How is Arvind Kejriwal spending time in Tihar jail?

Arvind Kejriwal’s weight, blood pressure, and sugar are monitored twice daily by senior resident doctors. A prison official told The Print that the Delhi chief minister is “totally fine”. “His BP is fine, his sugar is under control and his weight is 65 kg, which is static. His weight hasn’t dropped,” the official was quoted as saying.

The Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi minister Atishi, however, alleged that Arvind Kejriwal had lost 4.5 kg since his arrest on March 21.

The report added that Arvind Kejriwal doesn’t have a chair or a stool to watch TV and therefore, he stands while surfing channels. “Sometimes he just sits on the bed looking at the surroundings and other times he picks up a book to read,” the source said.

The 55-year-old Delhi chief minister is also allowed to step outside his cell for walks. However, he cannot talk to other inmates due to security reasons, the report claimed. As a result, the area in the courtyard containing other cells is cleared up whenever he steps out, it added.

Arvind Kejriwal, the first sitting chief minister to be lodged at Asia’s largest jail, is placed in a 14×8 feet room located in general ward number 3 of jail number 2 of Tihar.

Earlier news agency PTI reported that most of the day, Arvind Kejriwal reads books and does yoga and meditate twice daily.

Among the books provided to him are the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, and ‘How Prime Ministers Decide’. “He is often seen reading these books and writing something while sitting on the chair in his cell,” a source told PTI.

Kejriwal has also been given a broom, a bucket and a piece of cloth – provided to all inmates as per the jail manual – for cleaning his cell, the PTI report added.