Tirupattur police ask tribal people to surrender country-made firearms

In a special gesture, the Superintendent of Police (SP) P. Shymala Devi has appealed to tribals in the Yelagiri and Jawadhu Hills in the district to voluntarily surrender their illegal country made guns.

In coordination with forest and revenue officials, the Tirupattur taluk police organised a series of awareness campaigns against using illegal country-made weapons, illicit arrack, and poaching of wild animals in the forests. The drive was also meant to be part of poll preparedness of the district police ahead of 2026 Assembly election. “Tribals can surrender illegal country-made guns to the nearest police station voluntarily. Their identities will not be disclosed, and no cases will be filed against them,” Ms. Devi said.

Ms. Devi trekked the narrow hilly stretches, along with police personnel, and met tribal leaders and village headsman to convince them of the need to surrender illegal weapons to the district police.

Surrounded by thick forest areas, three major tribal villages such as Pudur Nadu, Nellivasal Nadu, and Pungampattu Nadu form a cluster of 32 hamlets. These hamlets are located on the Tirupattur side of the Jawadhu Hills. Most tribal farmers cultivate saffron, sugarcane, banana, and vegetables such as brinjal, tomatoes, and green chilies. They use country-made guns to guard crops from wild animals.

Police said that possession of country made guns could have helped tribals to protect themselves from wild animals, thefts and small hunting purposes before independence. It could also help them to transport their produce to markets in the plains and return home safely. With better roads and transport after independence, possession of illegal arms is unnecessary.

Forest officials said that such awareness will help to dispel fear among tribals that cases will be registered against them when they surrender weapons to the police or forest officials. Also, in some cases, tribals may be willing to surrender weapons, but they were not aware of the way to do it. The initiative is aimed to encourage tribals to voluntarily surrender the weapons without any fear.

The initiative comes in the wake of a series of country made guns seized by police in the region after police conducted surprise checks based on alerts in 2025. Police said that most country made guns in the hills were passed through generations. As per police records, the district has 177 licensed guns, which are surrendered mostly prior to elections.