Indian NIA Court Permits American-Style Diet for U.S. Terror Suspect in Custody
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in New Delhi on July 21, 2026, allowed a plea by U.S. national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, accused in a terror conspiracy case, for a protein-rich, American-style diet in jail. The defense argued that preserving the accused's dignity under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution required accommodating his dietary needs, as he had been on a hunger strike for nearly 50 days, surviving on liquids and losing 13 kg. The court permitted the requested food items except non-vegetarian ones, and directed jail authorities to provide a cook to prepare meals according to his preferences. The court also ordered protection from mosquitoes and an electric kettle. Van Dyke was arrested on March 13, 2026, along with six Ukrainian nationals, for allegedly entering India on tourist visas, traveling to the northeast without permits, crossing illegally into Myanmar, and training ethnic armed organizations. The NIA has invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection