Satyendar Jain was getting massage from a rape-accused: Sources

NEW DELHI: In a new twist to the Satyendar Jain jail-massage controversy, which has dismantled Kejriwal's physiotherapy defence, sources report that the person administering massage on Jain was not a physiotherapist, furthermore, he has been identified as a rape accused too.

Jailed Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, who was criticised over the viral CCTV video inside the Tihar, was being given a massage by an accused in a rape case, the official sources claimed on Tuesday.

The Tihar Jail official sources claimed that the prisoner, identified as Rinku, was "not a physiotherapist" and has been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

"The masseur providing massage to jailed Delhi min Satyendar Jain is a prisoner Rinku. He's a prisoner in a rape case, charged u/s 6 of POCSO Act and 376, 506 & 509 of IPC. He's not a physiotherapist," the sources claimed.

This comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister denied BJP's allegations of Jain being given a 'massage' inside the jail, and claimed that it was 'physiotherapy'.

The war of claims and counter-claims from Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Aadmi Party has been underway since the CCTV footage came to the fore on November 19.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday had claimed that the CCTV footage that went viral showing Jain being given a full-body massage was a "treatment for injury".

"Only BJP can make cruel jokes by leaking CCTV footage of an injured person's treatment... His (Satyendar Jain's) spine was damaged, it's on record," Sisodia had said on Saturday.

However, the Deputy Chief Minister's claim was refuted by the Indian Association of Physiotherapists.

The body also demanded an apology for "degrading physiotherapy".

Calling out the Minister, the Indian Association of Physiotherapists tweeted on Saturday, "IAP strongly condemns the statement of the minister degrading physiotherapy by comparing it with massage given to another minister. Shows the level of education and knowledge they have about our noble profession."

In a video, the president of the association condemned the minister while also demanding an apology from him.

"There is news going on on social media and we have received many complaints from our members. Many physiotherapists all across India that in jail, and one physiotherapy session was given to a patient.

And as a professor of physiotherapy and as president of the Indian Association of Physiotherapists, we can say that the session going on was not physiotherapy.

It is a way of degrading physiotherapy. We strongly condemn this act. We want that the Minister or whosoever should apologise for that," he said. "I request all physiotherapists in India to write down to the news channels that please don't degrade physiotherapy.

This is not physiotherapy. Let's condemn this act and let's move in a direction where we can correct things," the president added. Earlier on Saturday, the former PRO of the Tihar jail said that it cannot be physiotherapy as the video clearly showed that co-inmates were giving him a massage.

Sunil Gupta, former PRO of the Tihar jail told ANI that the video makes it clear that other prisoners of the prison were giving the minister a massage. "Massage is different from physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is given in physiotherapy wards in the hospital," he said.

The purported CCTV footage dated September 13 shows the minister lying on his bed while a man seated next to him is seen massaging his foot. In another video shared by BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on his official Twitter handle, a man is seen massaging the Delhi minister's legs and back before proceeding to give him a full head massage.

The videos surfaced on social media on Saturday, 10 days after the ED accused the Delhi minister, was arrested in a money laundering case, of getting special treatment inside the Tihar jail.

Jain has been in jail since June. A Delhi court denied his bail application on November 16.