Calcutta, Jan. 30: Cell No. 14, Alipore Central Jail. That is the current address of Haldiram owner Prabhu Shankar Agarwal.

He shares the address with 30 other convicts. However, his room in the cell is special. It has what appears to be a mattress but is actually several layers of blankets to protect him from the cold jail floor.

And it is one among the many privileges that make Agarwal different from his neighbours.

Even before he had been sentenced for life yesterday along with four others, Agarwal had instructed his weeping wife to send him “a chaddar, kambal aur gaddi”.

The gaddi, or mattress, did not finally make it into the jail, but the bed linen and the blanket did. So did home-cooked vegetable curries, chapatis and sweets.

For Agarwal and his mates, life may not have been a bed of roses since they were lodged in jail four days ago, but has certainly been more comfortable compared with what the other inmates have to face.

“His family had wanted to send the mattress as well, but it would have been too difficult to bring it in,” a jail official said. “The blankets and the bedsheets were brought in bags and could easily be taken inside. But to get the mattress in, the main gate of the jail would have had to be opened. It would have been far too glaring.”

Also, unlike other convicts who have to stick to the pyjama-fatua (vest) dress code, Agarwal and his gang were allowed to wear normal clothes till this morning.

They slipped into the uniforms this afternoon, but wore them with sweaters and jackets sent from home. Other inmates have only jail blankets to shield themselves from the cold.

Agarwal, jail sources said, has been “caring” about the other four who have been convicted of attempted murder along with him.

He has “provided” enough for the jail staff to make their stay as comfortable as possible, jail sources revealed.

Moments after Agarwal instructed his wife to send his bedding to the jail, Raju Sonkar, who was also convicted, told his relatives present in court to arrange for a proper dinner. “Raat mein biryani bhej dena,” he told them.

So like last night, when all five had food sent from home, today, too, they had home-cooked food and not the jail’s staple watery dal, rice and unappealing vegetable curry.

Not to forget other small “concessions”, all for “a fee”: unlike other convicts, they will not have to wash their uniforms. For Rs 1,500 each every month, their uniforms will be washed and for an undisclosed “fee” they will continue to enjoy food from home.

“Agarwal is a rich man,” said a jail official. “He can afford such small comforts. And the jail staff are happy too.”