Tihar food ‘too oily, spicy’ — Myanmar terror group 'trainer’ Matthew VanDyke seeks permission to cook his own food
VanDyke is neither accustomed to nor medically capable of regularly consuming such food, his lawyers argued, saying that Tihar food has caused severe physical discomfort and adversely affected his overall health.
US national Matthew Aaron VanDyke, accused in traning Myanmar terrorists, has sought to prepare his own food in Tihar Jail because the meals provided are “oily and spicy” for him.
In an application before a Delhi court, VanDyke sought a direction to the jail authorities to provide him with food items and utensils to prepare food.
According to news agency ANI, he complained that the Tihar food is oily and spicy, which caused health issues and deteriorated his health. He also said that he has not been eating the food provided in the jail for the last more than 50 days.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Prashant Sharma of Patiala House Court on Thursday granted time to jail authorities to file a reply. Earlier, the court issued notice to the jail authorities and the NIA.
The matter is now listed for hearing on July 21.
VanDyke has been lodged in Tihar Jail after the NIA interrogation. His judicial custody was extended till August 1.
‘Lost 14 kgs, wants protien’
In the application, VanDyke's counsel said he has not been eating the jail food since May 6 and has lost about 14 kilograms.
They also submitted that he is a US citizen who is not accustomed to the diet ordinarily served in Indian prisons, which is predominantly spicy, oily, deep-fried, and greasy.
VanDyke, they said, is neither accustomed to nor medically capable of regularly consuming such food, as the same has caused severe physical discomfort and has adversely affected his overall health.
Consequently, they said that despite his willingness to maintain adequate nutrition, he has been unable to consume the prison meals, resulting in his continued hunger strike.
They also submitted that the prolonged inability to consume the food provided by the prison authorities has led to a serious and progressive deterioration in his physical condition.
VanDyke submitted that he has developed serious vision-related problems, including weakness in his eyesight due to a lack of nutritional food. He has suffered substantial loss of strength and stamina, and his immunity has been significantly compromised, thereby rendering him highly susceptible to infections and other ailments.
Vandyke has requested induction/stove, pots, bowls, plastic chopper, lentils, protein food such as red meat, chicken and fish (Shrimp), uncooked noodles and pasta, uncooked rice, potatoes, onions, beans, spices (Lemon Pepper Spice), bread, butter, olive oil, toned milk, soya milk, bottled water, and other vegetables.
It is also said that his family is ready to bear the expenses of these items.
About the Author
For about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank FDs, real estate, income tax and more. 3. Politics: Comprehensive coverage of general elections, state elections and bypolls, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Parliament, PMO, PIB, finance ministry, home ministry, among other union ministries and government departments. 4. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic indicators like- GDP, inflation, forex, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, interest rate cycle, economic recovery, RBI circulars, indirect taxes, GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy imports, exports and everything that impacts Indian economy. 6. Geopolitics: Well-rounded and deeply researched coverage on US News, Oval Office European Union, Ukraine Russia War, middle-east crisis, royal families and global leaders like - Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and premiers of other leading economies in the world. Meet the Team 1. Gulam Jeelani, Political Affairs Editor 2. Sugam Singhal, Senior Assistant Editor 3. Chanchal, Assistant Editor 4. Sanchari Ghosh, Chief Content Producer 5. Pratik Prashant Mukane, Chief Content Producer 6. Sayantani Biswas, Chief Content Producer 7. Ravi Hari, Deputy Chief Content Producer 8. Garvit Bhirani, Deputy Chief Content Producer 9. Akriti Anand, Senior Content Producer 10. Jocelyn Felix Fernandes, Senior Content Producer 11. Swastika Das Sharma, Content Producer 12. Mausam Jha, Content Producer 13. Riya R Alex, Trainee Content Producer
Wait for it…
Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.