Fresh trouble may be brewing for jailed Aam Aadmi Party minister Satyendar Jain as yet another CCTV video of his prison cell shows him hosting guests, and also features a visit from now-suspended Tihar Jail superintendent.
The almost 10-minute-long video clip, from September 12 around 8 pm according to the time stamp, shows Jain relaxing on his bed when he is visited by three people in casual clothing. A few minutes in, Ajit Kumar, superintendent of jail number seven at that time, walks in and interacts with Mr Jain while the rest walk out.
Jain was earlier seen getting a massage by a man inside his cell, and chatting with other inmates, none of which is allowed inside the prison. He was also seen eating fruit salad, bringing his complaint on food quality in jail under question.
While AAP had claimed that these were “physiotherapy sessions” recommended by his doctor following his spinal surgery, the claim was demolished by sources who said the “masseur” in was a prisoner, accused of raping his own daughter.
The videos have become a flashpoint between the BJP and AAP ahead of Delhi civic body polls next month, with the BJP demanding Jain be moved out of Tihar jail on account of ‘special treatment’. BJP leaders have flooded social media with security camera footage almost every day to bolster their allegation that AAP, which rallied against corruption and ‘VIP treatment’, is in fact indulging in the same. They accuse Jain of enjoying special perks while awaiting trial.
The clips started surfacing days after the Enforcement Directorate accused Jain, who was arrested in a money laundering case, of getting special treatment inside Tihar Jail. The “VIP treatment” allegation led to the transfer of at least 12 Tihar jail officials besides the Director General (prisons), Sandeep Goel.
Jain has been in jail since June. A Delhi court denied his bail request last week.
