US mercenary demands special jail food in India
A US mercenary awaiting trial in an Indian jail has asked a Delhi court to make a long list of special food items available for him, complaining that his current meals are “spicy and oily.”
Matthew Aaron VanDyke was arrested by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with six Ukrainian mercenaries in March. The group are now in Delhi’s Tihar jail as the NIA probes their activities in India and neighboring Myanmar.
VanDyke filed a request at a Delhi court this week, saying regular consumption of the “spicy and oily” prison meals had adversely affected his health, and demanded special facilities to cook his own food. He said his inability to consume the food provided in the jail had led him to go on what he described as “a hunger strike.”
The US national has asked for food items, including chicken, red meat, seafood, uncooked noodles, pasta, uncooked rice, potatoes, onions, beans, spices, vegetables, olive oil, toned milk, bread, butter and bottled water. He has also requested a stove, pots, and a plastic chopper.
The diet for pre-trial detainees at Tihar jail follows a prescribed menu, with fixed quantities of cereals, pulses, and vegetables. They are not entitled to demand food from outside or have meals prepared according to their personal preferences.
However, exceptions are made if a prison doctor certifies that an inmate requires a special diet due to a medical condition. In certain cases, under a court order, they are permitted to receive home-cooked food.
The seven mercenaries were arrested for traveling to restricted border areas in India’s northeastern region and allegedly crossing over into neighboring Myanmar, without a permit, to impart combat and drone training to ethnic armed groups operating there. The groups are also linked to armed rebels in India’s northeast.
VanDyke is the founder of Sons of Liberty International, which provides military training in conflict zones, the Times of India reported. He has been involved in conflict zones in the past, including fighting with Libyan rebels in 2011, it said.
