Farmers in Udumalpet and surroundings, a section of whom are into tapping toddy, have questioned the Police Department’s “high-handedness” in making arrests.The complaint of farmers is that those in the limits of Udumalpet and Amaravathy police stations are subjected to harsh treatment under Section 4 1(C) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937 at a time when the State government, at the intervention of the Madras High Court in support of the farmers, is considering the widespread demand for exempting toddy from the Act, according to Ashok Kumar, State organiser of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam.While officials of these police stations claimed that they were only enforcing the Act as per the directives of the government, the reasoning of the farmers was that there was no need to cause mental and physical agony to the farmers in the process of enforcement.“There is no need for the police to arrest the farmers in the morning and detain them in the station without permitting them to meet their family members till evening,” alleged Mr. Ashok Kumar, adding that, in doing so, the Police Department was contravening the D.K. Basu guidelines on protecting basic human rights.“Only hardened criminals are arrested on the spot by the police and taken for questioning. Under normal circumstances, the farmers must be issued summons by the police for questioning,” Mr. Ashok Kumar.Coconut farmers have long been looking for guidelines from the government for tapping toddy as a food product under the National Food Security Act, he said.Besides supporting the livelihood of farmers, legalising toddy tapping and sale would also bring in revenue for the government, Mr. Ashok Kumar said. Published - September 01, 2026 12:52 am IST