StatesAndhra Pradesh
One dead, more than 100 hurt as Devaragattu's Dussehra stick fight goes ahead in Kurnool
Villagers in Holagonda mandal held the night-long Banni Utsav clash despite police orders, and a 28-year-old man from Alur was killed.
Key points
- Potaraju, 28, of Alur, died in the clash after midnight.
- More than 100 people were hurt, about 10 of them critically.
- More than 1,000 police personnel were deployed at the hill shrine.
A 28-year-old man was killed and more than 100 people were injured in the annual stick fight at Devaragattu in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district, which villagers held late on Wednesday night despite police orders.
The dead man was identified as Potaraju of Alur. About 10 of the injured are in a critical condition and have been admitted to hospitals in Adoni and Alur, while others were taken to the government hospital at Alur.
The clash is the centrepiece of the Banni Utsav, held every year during Dussehra at the Mala Malleswara Swamy temple at Devaragattu in Holagonda mandal. The sticks came out after midnight as the festival procession moved. Villagers regard the fight as a tradition and went ahead with it in defiance of police orders.
Thousands of spectators came from across Kurnool, neighbouring districts and nearby states. More than 1,000 police personnel were deployed, but they could not prevent the fight. Tension remained in the area on Thursday morning and extra police were sent in.
The festival night has added to the load on Kurnool police, who are also managing tense nominations for the rural local body polls. On Thursday, TDP and YSRCP leaders argued at the Adoni mandal office on the second day of filing for mandal parishad seats until police stepped in and dispersed both groups.
Police have not yet said whether any case has been registered over the stick fight or the death.