‘Terror group trainer’ Matthew VanDyke seeks ‘American-style diet’ as Indian food in Tihar Jail ‘too spicy, oily’

ANew delhi margaret court testament next try on July 21 a plea by US subject Matthew Aaron VanDyke — an accused in an NIA case over an alleged terror conspiracy targeting India and involving ethnic armed groups in Myanmar — seeking permission to receive an “American-style diet” in Delhi's Tihar Jail. He has been unable to eat the “spicy, oily and deep-fried” food served in prison and has remained on a hunger strike for around 50 days, his lawyers have reportedly told the court.At the latest hearing, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it would not file a reply to the application, while Tihar Jail authorities sought time to respond. Special Judge Prashant Sharma, who hears NIA cases at the Patiala House Courts in New Delhi, listed the matter for further hearing on July 21.The application, moved by advocates Rohit Dandriyal and Rohit Gour, also seeks a continuous supply of soy milk, saying VanDyke, 45, has largely survived on liquids during his hunger strike.VanDyke says prison diet has affected healthIn the application, VanDyke says he has been unable to consume regular prison meals because of his dietary habits and inability “to tolerate the spicy, oily and deep-fried food ordinarily served in prison”, news agency PTI reported.The application says the prolonged hunger strike has resulted in significant deterioration of his physical condition, leaving him extremely weak and with substantially reduced immunity, according to PTI. The plea further says his deteriorating condition was evident when he appeared before the court, where he was unable to stand, appeared visibly frail and had considerable difficulty addressing the court. Prolonged nutritional deficiency has also affected VanDyke's eyesight, the plea says.His lawyers submitted that his family was willing to bear the cost of any special dietary arrangement, describing the request as one made solely on “humanitarian grounds”.What VanDyke's plea seeksThe application seeks permission for items such as pasta, chicken, fish, olive oil and other foods consistent with his regular diet. He has also reportedly sought permission to prepare his own meals using basic cooking equipment inside prison.The issue had surfaced earlier too. On July 3, when the court extended the judicial custody of VanDyke and the other accused till August 1, PTI quoted sources as saying he was not eating prison food and was subsisting on liquids, including juice and soy milk, and that an application seeking outside food would be moved shortly. VanDyke was produced before the court in a wheelchair that day.What's the case?VanDyke was arrested by the NIA at the Delhi airport on March 13, while six Ukrainian nationals were apprehended the same day at airports in Delhi, Kolkata and Lucknow. The agency registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) pursuant to directions from the Union home ministry.According to the agency, the accused entered India on tourist visas, travelled to Mizoram without the requisite permits and subsequently crossed into Myanmar, where they allegedly imparted training in drone warfare, drone operations, assembly and jamming technology to Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups.The NIA has alleged that the activities formed part of a wider conspiracy affecting India's national security.The agency has described the scope of the investigation as “very wide”, covering not only the commission of terrorist acts but also their “advocacy, incitement and preparation”. The NIA also obtained an extension of the investigation period from 90 days to 180 days under the UAPA, telling the court that the case involved a “deep-rooted criminal conspiracy” with pan-India and transnational linkages.The agency said additional time was needed to analyse seized electronic devices, examine financial transactions, trace funding sources and investigate the larger conspiracy. It has also sought specimen voice samples of all seven accused for forensic examination by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory. The accused have consented to provide the samples, according to ANI.Who is Matthew Aaron VanDyke?Before his arrest in India, VanDyke was known internationally as an American documentary filmmaker, conflict-zone volunteer and founder of Sons of Liberty International (SOLI), a US-based non-profit organisation that says it trains local forces resisting authoritarian regimes.A former motorcycle traveller who documented his journeys across the Middle East, VanDyke joined anti-Muammar Gaddafi rebels during Libya's 2011 uprising, where he was captured and held as a prisoner for several months before escaping, his website says. He later chronicled those experiences in the award-winning documentary 'Point and Shoot'.In the years that followed, VanDyke became involved in training volunteer forces in conflict zones, including Iraq and Ukraine, through SOLI. His activities have attracted both praise and scrutiny. In an earlier interview with Hindustan Times, American pastor William Devlin, who has known VanDyke for years, said he had told him he was in Myanmar “training people”, though he said he did not know the details of that work.Researchers who have studied SOLI have described it as an organisation that operates in a space between a conventional humanitarian non-governmental organisation and a private military organisation, while SOLI has maintained that it is not a mercenary outfit and works only with local partners.Religion has also featured prominently in VanDyke's public persona, HT has reported. He has described himself as a devout Christian and has said his faith shaped his decision to join armed struggles abroad. Pastor Devlin said VanDyke viewed his work as part of a moral duty to defend vulnerable communities. Researchers, however, cautioned against reducing his motivations solely to religion, saying his activities reflected a mix of ideological conviction, military training and support for groups resisting authoritarian regimes. While VanDyke has publicly documented his work in Libya, Iraq and Ukraine, questions have previously been raised over the legal basis of some of his overseas training activities.On the NIA case, so far VanDyke's responses have been on procedural issues, as the chargesheet is awaited.