KURNOOL: One person died and around 70 injured in the traditional Banni stick fight that took place at Devaragattu hills near Sri Malamalleswara Swamy temple in Holagunda mandal of Kurnool district late Wednesday night.
The deceased was identified as Pothuraju (35), resident of Aluru village in Kurnool district. Eight persons were seriously injured were shifted to Adoni area government hospital for treatment.
Banni festival is a traditional stick fight, also called as Karrala samaram, which continued for hundreds of years, held in grand a manner at Devaragattu hills on the outskirts of Neradiki village in Holagunda mandal from Wednesday midnight to early hours of Thursday.
Nearly three lakh people from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, thronged the hill to watch the fete, while as many as 3,000 clashed with each other with sticks, as part of ‘Banni celebrations.
During this dangerous traditional utsavam, at least 70 devotees suffered injuries in the stampede. And eight devotees, who were hurt seriously, were admitted to Alur and Adoni government hospital.
Among them one severely injured person suffered cardiac pain and died. Two persons are also in critical condition. The remaining was given primary treatment at Aluru hospital.
Local villagers consider that severe injuries leading to bleeding is a good omen. In accordance with the belief, the villagers of Neradiki, Neranikitanda, Kothapeta representing the followers of the lord, at midnight on Dasara, take the idols of Mala Malleswara Swami from Devaragattu to their respective villages when villagers of Ellarti, Arikera, Maddigeri, Nitranatta, Sulavai and Hebbetam representing the followers of demons, obstruct them.
In this process, both groups fight ferociously with sticks. However, neither group files cases against the other despite severe injuries.
Though they fight hard on this day, they bear no personal grudge against each other. District police deployed nearly 1300 police personnel.