Madhya Pradesh: Will Hingot Yuddha be cancelled due to Covid?

INDORE: The famous Hingot-War, that takes place between Turra and Kalgi group in Gautampura, might be cancelled this year in view of Covid. The administration is mulling whether to cancel the event which draws thousands of spectators.
“Through the continous efforts of the administration and support of public, the Covid numbers have dropped. In such a scenario it is the responsibility of one and all to not show any carelessness and follow all the guidelines till the vaccine arrives,” collector Manish Singh said.
He added, there is a ban on gathering of over 100 people to help control the disease and it applies to all events.
“In view of Covid-19 spread, we are contemplating to approach the organisers of ‘Hingot Yuddha’ to not organise the event this year as it draws a large number of spectators from different parts of the state,” he said.
Local MLA Vishal Patel, however, has different thoughts. “In the bypolls, the Covid-19 guidelines were completely sidelined. The district administration had no objection to the gathering of thousands of people then. What is the point of cancelling a traditional event,” Patel said.
He added that he is ready to talk to the administration, if the senior officials suggest any way-out including controlling the crowd.
“In the event, around 50 warriors from Turra and Kalgi village enter the battleground while the administration deploys around 300-400 cops as the security point. The crowd of around 8,000-10,000 people gather there to watch it from nearby villages. If the administration suggests any such plan to control it without cancelling the event, we would also take part in the discussion” the MLA said.
In this event, warriors of Turra group of Gautampura and Kalgi group of Runji Village hurl burning Hingots (a hollow fruit stuffed with gunpowder) at each other. Hingots are desert dates, but in this ritual, the same are turned into deadly missiles. In 2017, a spectator of Ujjain district had died after being hit by a Hingot and 36 were injured. Ahead of assembly polls in 2018, locals had threatened to boycott elections if the ritualistic combat was stopped and also put up posters ‘No Hingot, No Vote’.
The administration had finally decided not to enforce any ban on the event.