Last blessing turns fatal: groom falls to bullet fired to celebrate his wedding in Noida

It left Karotia dead.

Rajkumar has been arrested,the Noida police said.

The groom’s father,Kishore Karotia,a landowner and farmer in his Aligarh village,said: “The relatives left after the wedding ceremony was over and only a few of us were left to escort the groom and bride back to our house. Pankaj’s uncle Rajkumar was also with us.

“He was eager and excited about the wedding and was attempting to fire in the air to mark the end of the wedding.”

Karotia senior said his son took the bride to the car and returned to take blessings of his in-laws before leaving when the pistol went off accidentally: “The bullet hit my son on the head.”

Karotia was taken to Metro Hospital in Sector-11 but was declared dead after about an hour.

A case was registered at Sector-20 police station on Kishore Karotia’s complaint.

“The bullet had made a hole in the brain,” Sector-20 Station House Officer (SHO) P P Singh said. He said Rajkumar has been arrested and a case has been lodged against him under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

Superintendent of Police (City) Ashok Tripathi said such cases of fatal accidental firing is occurring despite a government directive that says action will be taken against those who use firearms in weddings. According to the directive,licence of such persons could be cancelled. “The relatives told us they were carrying arms to tackle robbers if they were attacked on the way — that’s the reasoning we get after most such cases,” SP Tripathi said.

Wedding fatalities in Noida and nearby

2004: Accidental firing claims life at Samajwadi Party MLA Narendra Bhati’s daughter’s wedding

2006: Deri Accha village resident dies in accidental firing

2007: Deaths reported from firings in separate incidents at weddings in Jalheda,Kulesara and Kudi Kheda villages

Nov 19,2008: 10-year-old boy dies in firing at engagement ceremony function in Jevar village,Greater Noida

Dec 7,2008: Rohit Singh,12,dies in firing at wedding

Feb 22,2009: 30-year-old dies in Dankaur wedding