One killed, over 100 injured in stick fight at Dussehra festival in Andhra's Kurnool district

One person has died and more than 100 have been injured in the age-old Dussehra custom of fighting with sticks in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district.

The "Devaragattu Bunni festival" was held on Wednesday night at Devaragattu village in Holagunda mandal. As in every year, two groups attacked each other with sticks, and many people were injured. The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Adoni and Aluru. Ten of them are said to be in critical condition.

Those with minor injuries were treated at the hospital and sent home by the administration. The dead man has been identified as Potharaju, 28, a resident of Aluru.

The fight takes place every year on the occasion of Dussehra at the Malleswara Swamy temple on a hilly area. Villagers held the event again this year, ignoring police orders. The villagers say it is part of their tradition.

For the annual festival, people from different villages are divided into two groups. At midnight, a symbolic wedding of the goddess Mallamma and Malleswara Swamy is held. Afterwards, the two groups fight with sticks to assert their claim over the idols of the deities.

People from Nerani, Nerani Tanda and Kothapeta villages were in one group. The other group had people from Arikera, Aluru, Suluvai, Elarthi, Nidravarthi and Bilehal villages. A fierce clash broke out between the two groups. Police tried hard to stop it but could not.

Every year the administration tries to curb the fight and brings in extra personnel for the purpose. Even so, villagers hold the event in defiance of orders. This time more than a thousand police personnel were deployed there.

According to the villagers, Lord Shiva took the form of Bhairava and beat the two demons Mani and Mallasura with sticks. On Vijayadashami, villagers observe the custom in memory of that episode. The group of the "demon side" tries to snatch the idols of the gods from the group of the "deity side", and sticks are used for this.

It is the custom that devotees regard these injuries as auspicious. Thousands of people gather in the village to watch the traditional fight, from districts around Kurnool as well as the neighbouring states of Telangana and Karnataka.