Andhra: Residents of village in Kurnool fight to show love for deity on Dusshera

Kurnool: Dussehra festival in Devaragatta village of Kurnool district is celebrated in a unique way every year. People of five villages form two separate groups and fight with each other to claim the idol of their deity on the occasion of Vijayadashami. This festival is popularly known as the Banni festival.

The festival is celebrated after people from five villages accumulated in Devaragattu village and take out a procession before commencing the fight with each other with the wooden sticks.

People living in the bordering area of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also travel miles to get a glimpse of the warring festival.

During the battle, few people have sustained injuries and have been admitted to Adoni Government hospital.

The police claimed that they made efforts to convince people not to indulge in violent acts by launching campaigns and initiating awareness programmes.

The police tried to avoid clashes in the celebration but it all got into a vein. The police have been publicising against violent acts through campaigns, awareness programs, flexes, short films from the past one month.

"On Vijayadasami, one thousand policemen were deployed for security arrangements. CCTV and drone cameras were used for monitoring. Despite all efforts, people did not step back from clashing, which they believe is a way of celebration," said Veera Pandiyan, Kurnool district collector.