Lalu can have 'sattu' in jail if he desires

RJD president Lalu Prasad, now jailed after being convicted in a fodder scam case, is known for relishing 'sattu' and he can have the food though it is not in the jail manual.

"As per the jail manual, specific food items are provided for the inmates lodged in the upper division. And if an upper division inmate desires to get food from outside, he can get it with the permission of the jail superintendent," IG (Prison) Sailendra Bhushan said today.

'Sattu', a powder made of gram, is not among the food items mentioned in the jail manual, he said when asked whether Prasad could have it inside the Birsa Munda Central Jail at Hotwar where the former chief minister was lodged.

"The inmates lodged in the upper division get 350 grams of rice, 117 gram dal, 233 gram of vegetables,  233 grams of potatoes separately, 467 gram milk or curd for vegetarians, 175 gram of fish or meat, 29 gram ghee, 117 gram sugar and fruits," Bhusan said here.
If any inmate of the upper division desired to cook his own food, two convicted prisoners would be provided to help him prepare the meal, the IG said.

Only central or state ministers and former or sitting legislatures are entitled to upper division facilities.

In this case, Prasad, former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, sitting MP Jagdish Sharma and former minister R K Rana would be the upper division inmates among the 45 convicted persons, the IG said.

As per manual, upper division inmates get a cot, a mosquito-net, television, blanket, bed, pillow, pillow cover, shirt, a pair socks and pyajama.

They can also get bedding, clothes, magazines and books from outside with permission of jail superintendent.

A proposal has been there much earlier for getting cable TV connection in the jail, but nothing has been decided on it as yet," Assistant Inspector General of Police Deepak Vidyarthi said when asked whether the inmates could watch private channels besides the DD net work.