On Thursday evening, in the midst of the wedding ceremony in East Delhi’s Shakkarpur, when the bride, 19-year-old Pooja, and the groom, Bharat, were walking towards the stage to exchange garlands (varmala) at Shiv Mandir Dharamshala, Pooja was allegedly hit by a bullet.
She was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, but returned three hours later after a surgery to resume her wedding rituals.
Pooja’s mother Joga Devi said, “Doctor advised her to take rest for a few hours but she was determined to go back to wedding procession. Now she is fine and taking rest.”
Eyewitnesses said two bullet shots were fired by the accused; one was shot in the air, while the other shot hit the bride in the ankle of her right leg. It was revealed that the bullet had brushed past her leg.
Police said it is a case of celebratory firing and hunt is on to arrest the accused identified as Rinku, a resident of Geeta Colony. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Pankaj Singh said they are looking into the matter and the accused was a guest from the groom’s side. However, the groom has denied this statement and claimed that he doesn’t know the accused.
Pooja is a resident of Mandawali and Bharat is a flower merchant from Shastri Park. They were engaged a year ago.
The wedding attendees alleged that the accused might have fled when the bride was being taken to hospital.
In a similar incident last November, a groom was shot at in the shoulder by two gunmen as he was riding a chariot to his wedding. A few hours later he returned to the wedding to carry-on with the marriage rituals.
