.gif)
A centuries-old festival in which residents from rival Indian villages hurl stones at each other -- often leaving people dead or injured -- has been banned, an official said Thursday.
The annual Gotmar festival in an impoverished central region of the country involves teams competing to capture a tree placed in a river running between two villages as crowds pelt rocks and pebbles across the divide.
The origin of the custom is unclear, but many locals in Madhya Pradesh state believe it developed from a tale of two young lovers who lived on either side of the river and wanted to elope together.
As they tried to escape, residents of the two villages started throwing stones at each other and killed the couple, according to folklore, and the festival is held in their memory.
In last year's clash between Saargaon and Pandhurhna, one person died and more than 400 were injured.
District civil servant Nikunj Srivastava said the event, scheduled to be held on Friday, had been banned after the state authority Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission described it as "inhuman and criminal."
"The act of injuring each other by hurling stones is done in the name of tradition, but traditions like Sati are banned and so this is now banned too," Srivastava told AFP.
"Not all local people support the stone-throwing but they do not speak out against it because they fear a backlash from the villagers who favour it."
Sati is the outlawed Hindu custom of a widow being cremated on the funeral pyre of her husband as an indication of her devotion.
Only males participate in the Gotmar festival, which is held each year in August or September according to the moon's cycle.
During the stone-throwing, opposing villagers taunt each other wildly and chant loud prayers to the Hindu goddess Durga.
The man who collects a flag from the top of the tree while under a hail of rocks wins the event for his village.
Thousands of people from both sides then visit a temple to apply sacred ashes to their wounds and pray that they heal quickly.
In past years, local authorities have backed the ritual and organised basic medical facilities on-site to treat the injured.
Four people died in 1989, one of the deadliest years in living memory.
"We will fully cooperate in the celebration of the festival but stone-throwing will not be allowed at any cost. Any amount of other sports, cultural and religious events are welcome," Srivastava said.
Anil Sabre, a teacher, welcomed the ban, saying that "people should no more be allowed to shed blood of their brethren in the name of tradition."
But it was unclear whether all local people would obey the ruling.
Attempts to replace the stones with rubber balls in 2001 and 2002 failed as villagers refused to use them.
