Delhi Court seeks NIA reply on US inmate’s American diet plea

A Delhi court on Saturday sought a response from the NIA over a plea by Matthew Aaron Van Dyke — accused in a terror conspiracy case involving alleged links to ethnic armed groups in India and Myanmar — who sought an American diet during his stay in prison.

Van Dyke, an US citizen, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on March 13, along with six Ukrainian nationals, after they allegedly infiltrated into India from Myanmar via the Mizoram border before being intercepted at various domestic airports across the country.

The group, suspected to have been operating as mercenaries, is being probed for a wide-ranging terror conspiracy, including assistance to ethnic armed groups in India and Myanmar, and imparting drone training to them.

Advocates Rohit Dandriyal and Rohit Gour, counsel for Van Dyke, who is presently in judicial custody, said they moved an application before Special Judge Prashant Sharma seeking permission to provide him with an American-style diet on humanitarian grounds.

They said their client had apparently been on “hunger strike” for around 50 days, during which he has consumed mostly liquids such as soy milk and juice.

According to the advocates, Van Dyke has been unable to consume regular prison meals on account of his dietary habits and inability to tolerate the spicy, oily and deep-fried food ordinarily served in prison.

“The application states that the prolonged hunger strike has resulted in significant deterioration of his physical condition, leaving him extremely weak and with substantially reduced immunity,” the advocates said.

The application further states that the accused’s deteriorating health was evident during his appearance before the court, where he was unable to stand, visibly frail and experienced considerable difficulty in addressing the court, they said.

On Friday, Van Dyke was brought to court in a wheelchair, following which his judicial custody, and that of five other Ukrainian nationals, was extended till August 1.

Van Dyke’s advocates also said the plea contends that the prolonged nutritional deficiency has adversely affected their client’s health, including deterioration of his eyesight, which has been attributed to a lack of adequate and suitable nutritional diet during his continued incarceration.

Emphasising that the request is made purely on humanitarian grounds and is intended solely to safeguard the accused’s health while in judicial custody, the counsel said they have submitted before the court that Van Dyke’s family is willing to bear the cost of the proposed dietary arrangement and all related expenses.

After consideration of the application, the court has issued notice to the NIA and the jail superintendent and has sought their response on the plea, listing the matter for further hearing on July 8, the advocates said.