The Tiruvannamalai district police are reaching out to the tribals in Jawadhu hills to get them to voluntarily surrender their country-made guns in return for an amnesty.
This message was conveyed to 11 heads of village panchayats from the hills at an interactive session held at the Jamunamarathur police station in Tiruvannamalai. The village elders have been given a week to discuss the amnesty offer with their fellow residents and convince those in possession of the illegal guns to surrender them.
Interestingly, the district police have also made it clear that such a surrender of weapons could be done at public places like temples or through common people, and the weapons need not be directly handed over to the police. This is to dispel fear among those in possession of illegal guns about exposing their identity.
“We have given time to the village heads to discuss the issue of illegal guns with their residents and get back to us. If they don't surrender voluntarily, we will have to conduct door-to-door searches for such weapons in the hills,” A. Pavan Kumar Reddy, Superintendent of Police, Tiruvannamalai, told The Hindu.
The district police recently found country-made guns during a routine vehicle check in the hills, prompting the SP to organise the meeting with the tribal elders.
Currently, the district police do not have any data on the total number of country-made guns in the hills. From time to time, such weapons are being seized.
The most recent incident was in 2020, when two persons were arrested for possession of unlicensed guns in Thanipaid near Tiruvannamalai.
Surrounded by thick forest, Jamunamarathur taluk is located on the northern side of Jawadhu hills, comprising 11 villages, including Amirthi, Senbagathoppu, Veerappanur, Puliyur, Melpattu, Kovilvur, Kuttakarai and Pattaraikadu in Tiruvannamalai district. Most of the residents of these tribal villages are farmers who cultivate saffron, sugarcane, banana, brinjal, tomatoes and green chillies.
In 2016, a similar amnesty was offered to tribals in Jawadhu hills.
