Devaragattu Bunny Festival: Three die, 100 hurt while 'protecting idols'

Locals said three of the injured are in critical condition. Earlier, violence could not be avoided in the annual traditional stick fight as thousands participated in the fest. Pre-emptive measures were taken by the police to stop the stick fight but it did not work.

Kurnool: Three persons died and around 100 others were injured while protecting the ceremonial idols at the Devaragattu Bunny Festival in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district on Tuesday at midnight.

Locals said three of the injured are in critical condition. Earlier, violence could not be avoided in the annual traditional stick fight as thousands participated in the fest. Pre-emptive measures were taken by the police to stop the stick fight but it did not work.

Here, the stick fight has been a tradition every year on the day of Vijaya Dashami. On the hill near Devaragattu of Holagunda Mandal, Mallamma and Malleswara Swamy were ceremonially married at 12 am midnight on Tuesday night.

As usual, idols were paraded in Padiyagattu, Rakshapada, Samivriksham, and Nakhibasavannagudi. In order to get these ceremonial idols, the people of three villages formed a group and the people of six villages formed another group and confronted each other with sticks in front of the ceremonial idols.

Legend has it that Mallamma and Malleswaraswamy performed the Bunny Utsav after slaying the demon. The people of Nerani, Nerani Tanda, and Kothapeta villages formed a team and the people of Aluru, Suluvai, Ellarthi, Arikera, Nidravatti, and Bilehal villages formed another team and faced each other with sticks to take possession of their deity. People on both sides were seriously injured during the stick fight. Besides Telugu states, lakhs of devotees flocked from Karnataka to witness the festivities.

Earlier, cops installed a foolproof arrangement to strengthen the surveillance system with CCTV cameras, drone cameras, and body-own cameras. Awareness programs and campaigns were conducted with flexi from a month before. A young man died among those who came to watch the Devaragattu festival. Local people climbed the tree to watch the stick fight. A young man named Ganesh died after the branch of the tree broke. The injured were shifted to Aluru Government Hospital.