NEW DELHI: From fighting alongside Libyan rebels and training armed groups in conflict zones to facing terror charges in India, Matthew Aaron VanDyke has led a life unlike most. Now lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail after his arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the 46-year-old American has made a different kind of plea — permission to cook his own meals and eat an “American-style diet”, saying he cannot stomach the prison’s regular food.A Delhi court will hear VanDyke’s application on July 21. In his plea, moved on humanitarian grounds, he claimed he has been on a “hunger strike” since May 6, surviving largely on soya milk because he is unable to consume Tihar’s “spicy, oily and deep-fried food”.He sought permission to keep an induction cooker and basic utensils inside jail, along with food items such as pasta, chicken, red meat, lentils, olive oil, toned milk, soya milk and bottled water. His family, the application said, is willing to bear the entire cost.According to the plea, VanDyke has lost around 14 kg during his incarceration and has suffered declining eyesight due to nutritional deficiencies. His lawyers also sought a continuous supply of soya milk and mosquito repellents or nets for him. The NIA has said it will not respond to the plea, while the jail superintendent has been asked to file a reply.
So what do prisoners eat in Tihar?
Unlike the customised meals VanDyke has requested, Tihar follows a fixed diet plan designed by dieticians and approved under prison rules. More than 14,000 inmates at Tihar, along with another 6,000 at Rohini and Mandoli prison complexes, are served four meals a day.The day begins around 7 am with bread and tea or biscuits and tea, accompanied by poori-sabzi or khichdi, depending on the day’s menu.Lunch, served around 11 am, includes four rotis, dal and a seasonal vegetable, although inmates can opt for rice instead of rotis.Around 3-3.30 pm, prisoners receive tea and biscuits as an evening snack.Dinner, served between 6 pm and 6.30 pm, once again consists of four rotis, dal and a seasonal vegetable, with rice available as an alternative.
Every gram is measured
The prison’s daily ration is prescribed in detail.Each inmate is entitled to 600 grams of cereals, 100 grams of pulses, 270 grams of vegetables, 30 grams each of edible oil and salt, 20 grams of jaggery, and measured quantities of spices and condiments.Eggs or soybean products equivalent to 100 grams are served twice a week, while milk is supplied twice weekly. Special diets are prescribed for pregnant and lactating women, children living with their mothers inside prison and inmates with medical conditions. Eggs are provided only on the recommendation of a medical officer.The prison menu is designed to meet nutritional requirements, providing around 300 grams of carbohydrates, 50 grams of fat and one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, along with prescribed levels of calcium, iron and essential vitamins.
Feeding a small town every day
Preparing meals inside Tihar is a logistical exercise comparable to feeding a small town.Food is cooked by inmates working in supervised kitchen teams, while dieticians oversee the menu. The prison’s annual food budget exceeds Rs 600 crore.Tihar also runs its own food production unit under the TJ brand, manufacturing baked goods, spices, edible oils, pickles, papad and snacks. Inmates can additionally buy biscuits, buns, namkeen, tea and packaged coconut water from the prison canteen using rechargeable smart cards.
How Tihar compares with prisons abroad
The contrast between VanDyke’s requested menu and standard prison meals elsewhere is striking.In the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, inmates may receive breakfast of egg-and-cheese potato burritos, cereal, fruit, milk and coffee, while lunch and dinner can include BBQ pulled pork, dirty rice, beans, cornbread and fruit.Russia’s notorious Black Dolphin Prison serves porridge, black bread, cabbage soup, potatoes, fish or meat and tea.China’s Qincheng Prison, one of the country’s best-known high-security prisons, typically serves steamed corn-flour bread and salted vegetables for breakfast, while lunch and dinner consist of rice or noodles, one vegetable dish and thin soup.Whether VanDyke gets permission to swap Tihar’s dal and rotis for pasta and an American-style diet will now depend on the Delhi court, which is scheduled to hear his plea on July 21.
Who is Matthew Aaron VanDyke?
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, VanDyke describes himself as a war correspondent, documentary filmmaker, security analyst and American freedom fighter. A graduate in security studies from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, he first travelled to Libya during the 2011 Arab Spring as a filmmaker but soon joined rebel forces fighting Muammar Gaddafi.Captured by pro-Gaddafi forces, he spent nearly six months in detention before escaping during the fall of Tripoli. He later appeared in Syria, where he acknowledged advising rebel groups on military tactics and weapons, drawing criticism for blurring the line between journalism and combat.VanDyke later founded Sons of Liberty International (SOLI), a non-profit organisation that claims to provide military training to communities fighting terrorism and authoritarian regimes. Through social media posts and his website, he has claimed involvement in operations in Iraq, Venezuela, the Philippines and Ukraine, often portraying himself as someone who trains civilians and resistance fighters in combat and drone warfare.Indian investigators, however, paint a different picture.The NIA arrested VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals on March 13 after they were intercepted while attempting to leave India. The agency alleges the group illegally entered India from Myanmar through the Mizoram border and conducted advanced drone warfare training for ethnic armed groups operating against Myanmar’s military junta.They have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and remain in judicial custody as investigations continue.
