Celebratory shot hits groom’s cousin

Ghaziabad: A 20-year-old youth was hit in the head during celebratory firing at a marriage function in Nandgram area of Sihani Gate on Wednesday night. The victim Robin is a student of an ITI college in Modinagar and a cousin of the groom. He has been admitted to a private hospital in Vaishali and his condition was stated to be critical.
He underwent a surgery on Thursday afternoon, but his relatives said there were slim chances of his survival.
The accused Deepak, a resident of Delhi, too was said to be from the groom’s side and was arrested soon after the incident. An attempt to murder case was simultaneously registered against him at Sihani Gate police station on a complaint by Robin’s cousin, Sanjeev.
Sanjeev said Robin, a resident of Gyaspur, had come to attend the wedding of his cousin, Sunny, in Nandgram on Wednesday night. “Deepak fired three shots in the air. One of them hit Robin in the head from the front. For long, people didn’t even realise that Robin had been hit. They came to know about it only when he collapsed on the ground. He was soon taken to Max Hospital in Vaishali and admitted there. Before that, several private hospitals had refused to admit him as they did not have the facilities and expertise to treat his critical injury,” Sanjeev added.
The incident took place around 11.50 pm on Wednesday. A video, in which Deepak can be seen firing in the air, is being widely circulated on social media.
In the video, Deepak could be seen standing near the main stage where the bride and groom were exchanging garlands. He tried to flee, realising that his shot had hit Robin, but was caught by the people. Robin’s father was in the Navy and died in 2013 following a heart attack. He has two elder brothers and two sisters. Sanjeev said the guests had tried to dissuade Deepak from indulging in the firing, but he did not listen to anyone. “He was standing very close to the main stage where the bride and groom were exchanging vows. We told him not to fire in the air. Anyone could have got injured,” he said.