Bhopal, Aug 21 - At least 48 people, including two policemen, were injured Friday in the annual daylong Gotmaar Mela which the authorities in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district were unable to stop despite a ban on the ritual stone hurling at one another.

The administration banned the ritual following directives of the state Human Rights Commission and offered the participants its full support in holding any other cultural and religious event.

Last year the ritual claimed a man's life and left over 400 injured.

Describing the tradition of stone throwing as 'inhuman and criminal', the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC) directed the district administration not to allow it henceforth.

The district administration has put in place heavy security to prevent the ritual but the situation slipped out of control soon after the fair started Friday morning.

The frenzied participants started attacking the administration officials and policemen.

'As soon as the festival started and villagers from both sides came to know that they would not be allowed to hurl stones at one another, they started pelting stones at the policemen and their vehicles.