RJD chief Lalu Prasad was shifted to the director’s bungalow within the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) premises on Wednesday in the wake of concerns over his frail health in the time of the Covid pandemic.

Lalu, who is serving a jail term after being convicted in fodder scam cases, is being treated for multiple ailments for a year at the RIMS paying ward, the second and third floors of which are occupied by Covid patients.

RIMS superintendent Vivek Kashyap said the shift was made at 2pm amid tight security. “We moved him (Lalu) to the director’s bungalow in the afternoon after a go-ahead from the district and jail authorities,” he said.

Dr Umesh Prasad of the RIMS medicine department, who has been entrusted by Jharkhand High Court to oversee Lalu’s treatment, welcomed the move. “The new location also has space for walking which will help Lalu. He can occasionally take a stroll under strict observation. Since he is a diabetes patient, walking will be beneficial,” he told reporters.

Last week, the doctor had submitted a proposal to the RIMS management, requesting it to consider shifting Lalu from the paying ward to prevent an infection. The urgency was understandable after three of the former chief minister’s personal caretakers had tested positive for the coronavirus on July 25.

Lalu’s Covid test remained negative, but the administration did not wish to take any chances in the wake of the steady rise in the number of Covid cases, particularly within government establishments like the police, bureaucracy and the medical fraternity.

Hence, on July 31, city SP Saurabh and his team visited the proposed bungalow, also known as Kelly’s bungalow, to take stock of security arrangements. An official of Bariatu police station under which RIMS falls said, “About a dozen cops will be deployed at the bungalow round-the-clock at strategic locations. This apart, electronic surveillance facilities are being installed to ensure total safety as per the jail manual.”

State RJD president Abhay Kumar, who a few months back had led a delegation before chief minister Hemant Soren to demand parole for Lalu, welcomed the move. “All we want is that our leader keeps well,” he said, adding that they were hoping that the state government would now consider their demand for Lalu’s parole considering his age.