On day of arrest, PC sought rat-free cell

New Delhi, August 31

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, in CBI custody for a week in connection with the INX Media case, is being treated with the dignity he deserves, gets to sleep in a centrally air-conditioned room adjacent to the lockups, which is complete with a bed and attached toilet and is being served South Indian food.

Sources in the CBI said ever since his arrest on August 22, the prime concern expressed by Chidambaram to the CBI was that the room where he would be confined should be clean, without rats and his only demand was that he should be served hygienic food. With the CBI court directing the probe agency to treat Chidambaram with dignity for him being a sitting member of the Rajya Sabha, sources said he was assured that the room was clean and sanitised. They said the Congress leader was promised to have a six-hour sleep and on-call medical assistance.

Claiming that comfort of an accused matters a lot while quizzing a person, they say the intention has always been to keep the person comfortable. “The CBI has a set menu that is served to the person in custody, but Chidambaram is served food he demands,” a source said. — TNS