Celebratory firing? 24-yr-old groom shot dead by friend at own wedding

Shahjahanpur: In a tragic case of celebratory firing, a groom was shot dead at his own wedding in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district.

The bullet was fired by the groom's close friend during the ceremony. Police have booked the accused for murder and are examining a video clip to see if the shooting was deliberate.  

The video clip shows the groom, 24-year-old Sunil Verma was participating in the wedding rituals when the pistol in the hands of accused Ram Chandra goes off, hitting the groom in his chest.

Caught by both seething pain and surprise, the groom first clutches his chest, unaware that he has been shot. Sunil Verma collapsed after a few seconds.

According to the groom's family, since loud music was playing at the venue, initially people did not realise that Sunil Verma had been shot. The groom was immediately rushed to hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

On Saturday night, Sunil Verma, a resident of Maholi area of Sitapur district, arrived at the wedding venue near the house of the bride, Ruby Verma. He was an employee with a pharmaceutical company.

Police is hunting for the accused Ram Chandra, who fled from the venue after the incident.

A police statement read, 'Prima facie it appears that the groom was killed during the celebratory firing, but police are probing other angles too.'

Watch the video here.