Celebratory firing by nephew kills groom during procession

NEW DELHI: In a tragic incident reported from the Capital's Shahdara district, a bridegroom was killed during celebratory fire at his marriage procession in Seemapuri.

Police said that on Tuesday night, the marriage procession was being taken out from Kalandar Colony and was proceeded towards Faridabad.

During the procession, the bridegroom Deepak's nephew fired from a gun to celebrate the occasion.

One of the shots struck the 23-year-old bridegroom in the head and he fell off his horse during the Ghud Chadi tradition.

Panic immediately spread among the guests at the procession, as they saw the groom collapse to the ground and bleeding profusely.

A senior police official said that Deepak was rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital with a gunshot injury in the head, and he succumbed to the wound around 2 am on Wednesday.

He added that the accused is currently absconding.

Sources said that the victim worked as a helper on a bus at Anand Vihar inter state bus terminal.

Police said they have formed several teams to investigate the case and search for the absconding accused.

They are also scanning the CCTV footage from areas where the incident occurred and the wedding photographer is being roped in for the investigation.

Cops are also inquiring other attendees at the wedding to know whether someone made a video of the incident, which may help law enforcement officials get a clearer picture of the incident.

In December 2017, a 24-year-old car mechanic was killed and two others injured during a suspected celebratory firing in north east Delhi's Welcome. The shots were fired by men in a car, which was a part of the wedding procession.

In another incident in December, a teenager identified as Mohammad Nayeem was killed during celebratory firing in a wedding procession in Chandni Mahal area. The accused was later arrested.