Six children injured in ‘celebratory’ firing during wedding in Ghaziabad

The children sustained injuries from splinters after the accused, identified only as Bittu, allegedly fired shots into the floor, the police said.

Six children were injured and rushed to hospitals in Ghaziabad and Meerut after they were wounded in so-called celebratory firing during a wedding on Monday night at Abupur village under Niwari police station area of Ghaziabad.

One of the injured children at a hospital in Ghaziabad on Tuesday. (Photo by Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)(Sakib Ali/HT PHOTO)

The children sustained injuries from splinters after the accused, identified only as Bittu, allegedly fired shots into the floor, police officials said. They added that they have arrested Bittu, the brother of the groom, Sandeep Chaudhary.

“The families have not filed any complaint so far as they are tending to their children. Hence the police lodged an FIR and have rounded up the groom’s brother Bittu. It is not yet clear whether he used a licensed weapon or an illegal weapon. Once we recover the weapon, suitable sections (of the penal code) will be added,” said Ravi Kumar, assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Modi Nagar (Ghaziabad).

The police said the celebratory firing took place during the ‘ghud chadhai’ ritual where the groom climbs atop a horse while leading the wedding procession. The children, who were wounded, were from the locality and were present among the guests, police said.

The accused fled the spot, but the police teams rounded him up on Tuesday. He is being further questioned about the weapon and the entire incident,” ASP added.

“I was at Modi Nagar for some work, but I rushed home when I got the information about my grandson being injured. He is five years old and suffered injuries on his head below the ear. He is being operated on at a hospital in Ghaziabad. Since we are attending to him, we could not approach police with our complaint. Once we go back home, we will be able to know more about what actually happened,” said Bijender Sharma, grandfather of one of the children injured.

Instances of celebratory firing are common in rural areas of Ghaziabad and across western Uttar Pradesh.

In September last year, a 19-year-old man suffered a bullet injury during a celebratory firing incident at a wedding procession at Murad Nagar.

In December 2016, a 41-year-old man, accused of celebratory firing in Moradabad, allegedly committed suicide at a hotel in Ghaziabad. During the firing, he allegedly fired shots which hit and killed the bride’s brother.