Indian bride fires gun at wedding, now on the run

Police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh are on the lookout for a woman who fired a gun at her wedding while sitting with her groom on the stage.

A video on social media showed the woman firing four rounds into the air in a celebratory fashion while sitting next to her husband.

According to a report by the Times of India, the incident took place in the Salempur village of Hathras district on the weekend after the garland exchange ceremony.

The celebratory firing however wasn't much of a celebration for the bride after the Hathras Junction police registered a case against her under section 25(9) of the Indian Penal Code.

In UP's Hathras, a groom sat with "kato toh khoon nhi" face next to the bride. pic.twitter.com/i7iNqiMIP4

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) April 9, 2023

Local police said they have registered a case against the woman, who has been missing since the incident.

Celebratory gunfire during weddings is common in some northern Indian states and often causes injuries and even accidental deaths.

According to Indian law, anyone who uses a firearm "in a rash or negligent manner or in celebratory gunfire", putting others in danger, could face a jail term or a fine or both.

In 2016, a court in Uttar Pradesh's capital, Lucknow, had ordered that every case of celebratory firing should be investigated regardless of whether a police complaint had been filed.

According to the Times of India newspaper, the video of the bride was recorded by a relative, who also posted it on social media. Police told the paper that the woman was "absconding" because she feared arrest.

Last week, a viral video from the western state of Maharashtra showed a sparkle gun backfiring in a bride's face while she and her husband were posing with it for wedding photos.