New Delhi, 23 April

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been administered a "low dose" of insulin after his blood sugar level spiked, officials of Tihar jail here said on Tuesday. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) welcomed this news received on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti and said the development was the result of the blessings of the deity. 

According to a Tihar official, Kejriwal was given two units of low dose insulin on Monday evening on the advice of AIIMS doctors. 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, the official said.

AIIMS specialists, during a video conference with the Chief Minister on 20 April, had advised Tihar doctors that insulin could be given to him if his sugar level crosses a certain level, he added.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said it was due to the blessings of Lord Hanuman that the chief minister was given insulin after nearly 23 days of being lodged in jail and alleged ill-treatment with the party's national convener. "It is due to the blessings of Lord Hanuman that Kejriwal was given insulin after 23 days. We had been saying that he needs to be given insulin but he given insulin only now. The people of Delhi were worried about him but their struggle bore fruit," Singh said. 

Welcoming the development, Delhi Cabinet minister Atishi said in a post on X in Hindi, "Jai Bajrang Bali! Good news received on Hanuman Jayanti. Tihar administration finally gave insulin to Arvind Kejriwal ji. This is the result of the blessings of Hanuman ji and the struggle of the people of Delhi. Even in this time of struggle, the blessings of Bajrang Bali remain on all of us."

Her cabinet colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the officials were deliberately not giving Kejriwal insulin. "Today it became clear that the chief minister was right, he needed insulin. But the officials under the BJP-led Centre were deliberately not treating him. Tell me BJP people! If there was no need for insulin, why are they giving it now? Because the whole world is cursing them," he said in a post on X in Hindi.

Singh claimed Kejriwal was being meted out "ill-treatment" and alleged he was under surveillance.  "The PMO and Delhi Lieutenant Governor are watching his activities. The CCTV feed of his cell is being watched," he alleged.  There was no immediate reaction from Tihar authorities to his claims. 

The Delhi chief minister was arrested on 21 March by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi government''s now-scrapped excise policy. He is lodged in Tihar jail since 1 April.