‘Celebratory’ firing at wedding kills groom in E Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 21-year-old bridegroom seated on a horse died in alleged celebratory firing in east Delhi’s Seemapuri on Tuesday.

More than two bullets were fired, allegedly by a drunk man who was part of the wedding procession. One bullet hit the groom, Dipak Kumar, in the back of his head. A child, seated on the horse escaped unhurt.

Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara), said the man who fired has been identified as Adil, a resident of Shaheed Nagar in east Delhi. “Adil was a guest. Our teams are conducting raids to arrest him. A case under the relevant section of IPC has been registered against Adil,” she said.

Family members alleged Kumar was murdered. They suspected the role of a neighbour who was allegedly against Kumar’s marriage.

Around 8 pm, the wedding procession was leaving his home in Seemapuri.“suddenly, someone from in the procession began firing. A bullet hit Dipak on his head. He fell off the horse and collapsed,” said a police officer. He was rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur hospital, where he died around 2 am on Wednesday.

Family members staged a protest and placed the body on the main road of the neighbourhood. Police officers reached the protest site and promised swift action against the ‘ culprit’. Kumar worked for a private bus operators at Anand Vihar.