Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Stone-Pelting Gotmar Mela Injures Hundreds in Madhya Pradesh
Gotmar Mela is an old festival in Madhya Pradesh.
People from two villages throw stones at each other while trying to capture a flag in the middle of a river.
Officials had asked people to celebrate symbolically without throwing stones, but stones were still thrown.
Many people were hurt, including a five-year-old child.
News reports gave different numbers for the injuries, from more than 450 to 1,321.
Some seriously injured people were sent to hospitals in Chhindwara and Nagpur.
Police, doctors, ambulances and medical camps were brought in to help.
The festival comes from a story about two lovers who were killed by villagers throwing stones.
Reports differed sharply on the injury toll, ranging from more than 450 to 1,321 people.
The annual Gotmar Mela was held on the Jam River between Pandhurna and Sawargaon.
A five-year-old child suffered a head injury, while other participants sustained head injuries and fractures.
Authorities deployed about 700 to 750 police personnel, seven medical camps and 44 doctors.
The ritual is linked to a 400-year-old legend and has reportedly caused 13 to 17 deaths over several decades.
- Who
- Residents and participants from Pandhurna and Sawargaon attended the festival; police and medical teams managed the event.
- What
- A ritual stone-pelting contest during the Gotmar Mela injured hundreds of people, with reports giving totals between more than 450 and 1,321.
- When
- Friday, on Bhadrapada Amavasya; the reports do not specify the year.
- Where
- On the banks of the Jam River in Pandhurna district, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- The ritual is conducted in the name of faith and tradition and is linked to a legend about two lovers.
Tradition and Participation
Safety and Regulation
Whether stone-pelting should continue
Tradition and Participation
Participants continue the ritual in the name of faith and tradition, and the event draws large crowds.
Safety and Regulation
The district administration asked people to observe the festival symbolically without throwing stones because of the danger.
Scale of the injuries
Tradition and Participation
Local sources cited nearly 650 injuries, while another report gave a total of 1,321 injured people.
Safety and Regulation
Police and officials cited a lower confirmed figure of more than 450 and said the final count was still being compiled.
- Reported injury totals
- One report cited 1,321 injured people; another cited more than 450 officially and nearly 650 according to local sources.
- Child injured
- A five-year-old child suffered a head injury after being struck by a stone.
- Serious injuries
- One report said 10 people were seriously injured; three were referred to Nagpur, while another report said serious cases were sent to Chhindwara and Nagpur.
- Security
- Approximately 700 to 750 police personnel were deployed.
- Medical response
- Seven medical camps and 44 doctors were deployed; one report also said 22 ambulances were available.
- Festival ritual
- Participants from the two villages competed to retrieve a flag fixed in the middle of the Jam River while stones were thrown.
- Reported historical deaths
- Police reportedly said 13 people had died in the last 70 years; residents separately claimed 17 deaths over the years.
