Tihar Jail's food 'too spicy and oily': US mercenary in Delhi prison seeks court's nod to cook own 'American-style' meals

An arrested American mercenary currently lodged in Delhi’s high-security Tihar Jail has moved a local court seeking permission to cook his own meals. The inmate has claimed that the standard prison food is "too spicy and oily," resulting in a severe decline in his health.

The petitioner, identified as Matthew Aaron VanDyke, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to recruit and train individuals for terrorist activities targeting India. He currently remains in judicial custody.

According to his legal counsel, VanDyke has been virtually unable to eat the provided prison meals for over 50 days. The sudden and drastic shift from his usual diet to heavily spiced Indian prison food has reportedly caused him severe gastrointestinal issues and a significant drop in weight.

Seeking an 'American-style' diet

In his application to the Delhi court, VanDyke's lawyers argued that the prison regime is severely impacting his physical well-being. To rectify this, he has requested permission to set up a basic cooking arrangement inside the jail premises.

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The plea requests that he be allowed access to raw ingredients and minimal culinary equipment to prepare a simple, "American-style diet." His legal team noted that he intends to cook basic, non-spicy staples such as chicken, pasta, and seafood like shrimp to meet his nutritional requirements without worsening his medical condition.

While Tihar Jail does house a significant number of foreign nationals, prison regulations strictly mandate that all inmates consume food prepared in the centralised jail kitchens. Special dietary requests are typically limited to medical exemptions authorised by prison doctors, usually consisting of blander diets like boiled vegetables, pulses, and rice.

The court is expected to seek a formal response from the Tihar Jail administration and the NIA regarding the logistics, security implications, and feasibility of allowing an inmate to operate private cooking equipment inside the barracks before passing its directive.