One dead, 50 people injured in Devaragattu Banni festival

Kurnool, October 6: A young boy, who came to see the stick fight, died of heart attack and over 50 people were injured in the stick fighting at Devaragattu of Kurnool district on Wednesday night.
            
The stick fight or Bunny festival was delayed due t rain, which will be held as part of celebrations of Sri Mala Malleswara Swamy on Dasara festival. More than 50 persons were injured and traffic was stalled as large number of vehicles got stranded on the road. 
 
A boy, identified as Ravindranath Reddy of Siruguppa, Karnataka, died while going to see the stick fight. Police observed that the boy died of heart attack.
 
More than two lakh people of about 10 villages witnessed the Bunny festival despite heavy rain. Mala Malleswara Swamy is located atop 800 feet hill in Devaragattu. Devotees of various villages form into two groups and fight with sticks to take over the processional deities of Banni festival.