The competition, as ordinary, commenced as a devotional ritual on the night time of Vijayadashami. Instead of enacting the symbolic conflict of sticks, the members of the 2 teams took to violence, creating commotion and tragedy. The police mentioned at the very least 5 of the injured had been in a vital situation and had been admitted to the Government General Hospital at Adoni.
The conventional celestial wedding ceremony of Mallamma and Malleshwara Swamy, the presiding deities of the hill shrine, began late within the night, adopted by the procession of the idols. According to native legends, the hysterical mass competition is widely known to commemorate the slaying of demons by the presiding deities.
As the procession rolled out throughout the agricultural aspect, two rival teams, allegedly armed with thick bamboo sticks and pestles, joined the present and launched a violent assault on the opposite group, both sides attempting to grab the idols. Close to midnight, it was all pandemonium. In darkness, the 2 teams took to clashes. Eyewitnesses knowledgeable the police that lots of of devotees collapsed on the bottom, whereas girls and kids ran for security in direction of fields and thickets.
At the time of the procession, an enormous contingent of police with over 700 personnel was on the bandobasth duties. Apart from this, the police deployed drone cameras and arrange CCTV protection in any respect necessary junctions. Leaving apart the symbolic sticks combat, the 2 teams resorted to raining blows and stone-pelting at one another. However, earlier than the regulation and order took a worse flip, the police authorities rushed extra forces to the spot from Nandyal and Kurnool, bringing the scenario below management.
Collector A Siri and Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil rushed to the spot and took inventory of the scenario. Medical groups had been pressed into motion to deal with the injured devotees.
Published – October 03, 2025 11:25 am IST
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