Tea leaves, dry grass — prisoners smoke just about anything to get their high inside Model Burail Jail

A sweep of the prison by security teams so far has revealed that the prisoners are desperate for a puff. And in the absence of tobacco products inside the jail — like beedis and cigarettes — they will take a drag of near about anything to satiate their addiction.

The search inside the jail premises so far has revealed prisoners have been trying to smoke anything and everything — from raw grass, leaves and even tea leaves (chaipatti) — that can basically be rolled inside a piece of paper.

Jail officers said that so far they had recovered numerous half-burnt rolled papers in the barracks used to house prisoners during a four-hour intensive drive held on Sunday, as part of the heightened security after the recovery of the explosive device near the prison’s rear boundary wall.

“The rolled papers — most of which were half-burnt — were recovered in the barracks prisoners who were habituated to smoking before being arrested. The sale of tobacco products, like beedi and cigarettes, has been banned inside the jail since 2014. Inmates, therefore, have started to innovate. Some try smoking with tea leaves. Others who do not get tea leaves have tried rolling up dry grass. A detailed list of objectionable material found during the search has been prepared. It will be submitted before the appropriate authority soon,” a jail officer, who was part of the search, said.

Sources said earlier too, that such half-burnt rolled papers had been recovered from barracks which housed inmates who were chain smokers. Such inmates, sources said, remain under strict vigil.

Smoking by inmates inside the jail premises was once a routine and was allowed as per the Punjab Jail Manual. It was banned following the intervention of courts when jails were categorized as public places and smoking was banned at public places in 2014.

ADC Amit Soora, who is looking after Burail jail’s affairs, said, “I can comment on the matter only after reading the report of objectionable material found during Sunday’s search inside the prison.”

The jail administration, in the meanwhile, has started scrutinising the profiles of inmates, including those facing heinous charges, in the wake of the recovery of explosives near the prison’s outer boundary wall.

Sources said, “Many convicts lodged here are facing terror-related charges and have almost completed their sentence and may get released from jail. The jail officials have released many prisoners so far — except Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Singh Bheora, who are serving sentences for the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh— on parole from time to time.”