Some 329 injured, 7 critical in annual stone war between neighboring Indian villages

As many as 329 people were injured, seven of them seriously, on Saturday during the traditional 'Gotmar Mela', a stone war between two neighboring villages at Pandurna in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. Villagers defied plea by district administration to give up the Gotmar Mela that leaves several injured and even deaths.

Police said the seriously injured have been referred to hospitals in Nagpur in neighboring Maharashtra while all other injured were given first aid at the nearby public health centers. A sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Praveen Shendre also sustained injures when a group of people attacked a police party when they tried to check sale of illicit country liquor near the mela venue. The mob also damaged an ambulance.

Gotmar mela is celebrated every year on the second day to "Bhadrapad' the new moon day on the banks of river Jam. A tree trunk is placed in the middle of the river Jam which flows through this village. A flag is tied on top of this tree. People from neighboring village Savargao and Pandhurna gather on either side of the river banks in the morning and try to pull the flag on the tree top but are prevented by people throwing stones from either side. The village which is able to pull the flag is the winner.

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In the wake of injuries, and even deaths, the district administration had tried to impress upon the villagers to use rubber balls instead of stone in 2001 and 2002 but the villagers did not agree. Although the 'gotmar' has been banned for several years, villagers still celebrate the bloody festival every year and the administration makes arrangements to provide timely medical facilities for the injured.