JOIN USSuresh Kalmadi, the latest high-profile entrant at Tihar Central Jail, is not getting any VIP treatment in India's largest prison and has made no special requests either, authorities said Thursday.
Kalmadi, an MP and former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief, was visited by his wife and son Thursday, a day after he was sent to 14-day judicial custody along with his aides A.S.V. Prasad and Surjeet Lal.
"He woke up and attended the roll call with other inmates at 6. At 7, he stood in the queue for breakfast where he was given two bread slices, one sabzi and a cup of tea. He was also given newspapers," Sunil Gupta, Tihar spokesperson, told IANS.
Kalmadi, used to the comforts of high life, is now lodged in Ward No.15 in Jail No. 4. He has been given a separate cell for security reasons.
This is a huge fall for a sports administrator who frequently ordered food from luxury hotels when he was preparing for the Commonwealth Games.
Spokesman Gupta said: "He and others accused in high-profile cases have been kept in separate single cells inside the same ward. This is for security reasons."
No special requests have come from Kalmadi's side and he is following the prison routine.
Kalmadi took a walk around the ward in the morning. He watches TV, which has a cable connection and is in his cell. At times, he converses with Prasad and Surjeet.
All three were sent to judicial custody till May 18 by the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court for alleged involvement in irregularities in the organisation of the 2010 Delhi Games.
The same jail routine will be followed by Kalmadi while he is in Tihar, the authorities said.
Soon after breakfast at 7, the inmates take a bath and get ready. By 9 a.m. the lunch for the day should be collected, which include rotis, rice, dal and one vegetable dish.
Between 12 noon and 1 p.m., the inmates are allowed to meet visitors. Till 3, they are not be confined to the cell and can access the gym and read or watch television.
Around 3 p.m. a cup of tea and two biscuits are served. By 6 dinner has to be collected by the inmates themselves. The menu is the same as lunch.
Immediately after dinner, they are locked up in the cell again.
According to the CBI, Kalmadi has been arrested for buying TSR (timing scoring and result) equipment from a Swiss firm, Swiss Timing, at an allegedly inflated price of Rs.141 crore for the Oct 3-14, 2010 Games.
And he does have high-profile company in Tihar.
Over the last two months, the jail has lodged several top ministers, civil servants and corporate CEOs.
Lodged there in connection with the 2G spectrum scam are A. Raja, former communications minister, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, D.B. Realty chief Shahid Balwa, cousin Asif Balwa and his partner Vinod Goenka, Unitech's Sanjay Chandra and top officials of the Reliance ADAG group.
For irregularities in the the Commonwealth Games, organising committee officials like Lalit Bhanot, V.K. Verma, T.S. Darbari and Sanjay Mohindroo are also in jail.