NIZAMABAD: Despite a police ban, fistfights (piddiguddulata) marked Holi festivities on Friday at Hunsa village in Bodhan mandal. Ironically, the police who reached the village turned out to be silent spectators.
Fistfights have been part of Holi celebrations in the village, which is close to the border with Maharashtra. As usual, the police issued a warning to festival organisers and asked them not to conduct it this year, but the villagers ignored it.
At 5.15 pm, villagers reached the festival venue where a rope was arranged to divide revellers into two groups. The two groups on either side of the rope indulged in fistfights for about 20 minutes. Once the rope was removed, they hugged one another. The event was conducted in a spirit of friendship between two groups.
Defending the event, the villagers reasoned that if the age-old tradition was not organised under the watchful eyes of the elders, lawlessness could prevail. According to them, people from Maharashtra also come to watch the event.
Bodhan ASP P Srinivas, who observed the event from the terrace of a building, expressed relief that the festivities passed off peacefully.
“As a precaution, we gave a notice to the organising committee, which ensured that the event was concluded within a few minutes. We hope that the villagers would find a new way next year to celebrate the festival of colours. We acted according to law and deployed police,” he said.