Delhi CM Kejriwal defends his minister, saying its physiotherapy

Commenting AAP’s leader Satyendar Jain’s viral video of getting a massage in the Tihar jail, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has said that people are calling it massage, VIP treatment but it is only physiotherapy.

Kejriwal has said that when Amit Shah was minister in Gujarat, he was the one who received VIP treatment and that no such thing is happening for Jain.

Physiotherapists refute claims of physiotherapy being given to Jain

The Indian Association of Physiotherapists has refuted the claims of physiotherapy being given to jailed Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain and also demanded an apology for “degrading physiotherapy”.

This comes after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday claimed that the CCTV footage that went viral showing Jain being given a full-body massage was a “treatment for injury”.

A CCTV video of Jain getting a full-body massage in Tihar Jail emerged on social media on Saturday morning – two days after demands to shift the minister from the prison were raised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sisodia had accused the BJP of leaking the CCTV footage and said that the “physiotherapy” was because of a spinal injury.

“Only BJP can make cruel jokes by leaking CCTV footage of an injured person’s treatment… His (Satyendar Jain’s) spine was damaged, it’s on record,” he had said on Saturday.

Calling out the Minister, the Indian Association of Physiotherapists tweeted on Saturday, “IAP strongly condemns the statement of the minister degrading physiotherapy by comparing it with massage given to another minister. Shows the level of education and knowledge to them about our noble profession.” In a video, the president of the association condemned the minister while also demanding an apology from him.

“There is news going on on social media and we have received many complaints from our members. Many physiotherapists all across India that in jail, and one physiotherapy session was given to a patient. And as a professor of physiotherapy and as president of the Indian Association of Physiotherapists, we can say that the session going on was not physiotherapy. It is a way of degrading physiotherapy. We strongly condemn this act. We want that the Minister or whosoever should apologise for that,” he said.

“I request all physiotherapists in India to write down to the news channels that please don’t degrade physiotherapy. This is not physiotherapy. Let’s condemn this act and let’s move in a direction where we can correct things,” the president added.

Tihar Jail PRO’s statement

Earlier on Saturday, the former PRO of the Tihar jail said that it cannot be physiotherapy as the video clearly showed that co-inmates were giving him a massage.

Sunil Gupta, former PRO of the Tihar jail told ANI that the video makes it clear that other prisoners of the prison were giving the minister a massage.

“Massage is different from physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is given in physiotherapy wards in the hospital,” he said.

The purported CCTV footage dated September 13 shows the minister lying on his bed and reading some papers while a man sitting next to him is seen massaging his foot.

In another video, shared by BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on his official Twitter handle, a man is massaging the Delhi minister’s legs and back before proceeding to give him a full head massage.

“So instead of Sazaa – Satyendar Jain was getting full VVIP Mazaa? Massage inside Tihar Jail? Hawalabaaz who hasn’t got bail for 5 months get a head massage! Violation of rules in a jail run by AAP Govt,” Poonawalla tweeted along with a video.

“This is how official position abused for Vasooli and massage thanks to Kejriwal,” he added.

The videos surfaced on social media on Saturday, around 10 days after the ED accused Delhi minister Jain, who was arrested in a money laundering case, of getting special treatment inside the Tihar jail.

“Unknown persons gave massages and foot massages to Mr Jain, even beyond curfew hours. He was given special food,” the ED had said in the court. Soon after this, the Superintendent of Delhi’s Tihar jail, Ajit Kumar, was also suspended for the alleged VIP treatment of jailed Delhi minister.

The minister, Jain, was arrested and has been in jail since June in connection with a money laundering case, and a Delhi court also denied his bail application on Thursday.

Several BJP leaders shared the CCTV videos and criticized the Delhi minister and the AAP government. 

Jain moved court against ED

Meanwhile, Jain on Saturday moved a court here seeking contempt proceedings against the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly leaking a CCTV footage to the media in which he is seen receiving massage inside Tihar Jail.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate on Jain’s plea, asking the agency to file its response by Monday. 

In his plea, the Aam Aadmi Party leader has accused the ED of leaking the CCTV footage “despite an undertaking given in the court” that no material related to the case will be divulged to the media.

A CCTV footage of Jain getting massage inside Thar Jail emerged in the mainstream as well as social media on Saturday morning.

Earlier during a bail hearing, the ED had accused Jain of getting special treatment inside the jail.

The court had earlier ordered the ED as well as Jain’s legal team to not leak any content of affidavits or video related to the case to the media, and had taken their undertakings in that regard.

The court had, however, refused to put any restriction on, or pass any direction to the media.

The court had on November 17 denied bail to Jain and two others in the case. 

The federal agency had arrested the accused in the money laundering case based on a CBI FIR lodged against Jain in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. 

ain is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.

(with inputs from agencies)