68 persons were injured during the annual stick fight festival at Devaragatta in Kurnool district this morning, said police.

All the injured were admitted to different hospitals in Kurnool and the condition of two of them is stated to be serious.

The stick fight is part of the Banni festival which takes place at the end of the 9-day Navarathri festivities on the occasion of Dasara every year. Police, who are determined to ensure that there wouldn’t be any stick fight this year, tried their best to prevent the locals from participating in the unwanted fight but they failed in their mission.

Police put up special check posts in and around Devaragatta to prevent the collection of sticks by the villagers for the past few days but some how the police were hoodwinked and the villagers collected the fighting sticks in their usual way.

Police remained mute spectators as thousands of villagers participated in the fight using the rough and large sticks resulting in injuries to people.