BHOPAL: Armed with stones, hundreds of villagers from Pandhurna and Sawargaon in Chhindwara district clashed with each other across the Jam river during a ‘Gotmar’ fair held on Tuesday.
The fair left one seriously injured, who was referred to Nagpur for treatment, while 35 people sustained minor injuries and were provided treatment at Pandhurna hospital. Around 300 villagers sustained bruises and were given first-aid at makeshift camps by the administration at the mela site.
Every year, villagers from Pandhurna and Sawargaon assemble for the fair. As per the rules of the festival, villagers on both sides compete with each other to grab a flag put up in the middle of the river. As each side makes attempts to reach to the flag, villagers hurl stones at them.
Chhindwara SP Vivek Agarwal said, “Despite the fact there were lesser restrictions compared to last year, only one person sustained serious injury”.
