Police hunt for Indian bride who fired gun at own wedding

A viral video of the incident shows the bride being handed a gun by an unidentified man

Police in India’s Uttar Pradesh state are looking for a woman who was seen in a viral video firing celebratory shots during her wedding.

A video of the 23-year-old bride, identified as Ragini from Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, was recorded by one of her relatives and uploaded on social media on Friday night, reported the Times of India.

The video shows the bride being handed a gun by an unidentified man.

She is then seen firing four shots in the air in a span of a few seconds while sitting on stage with the groom.

Authorities said that the bride is now absconding after a case was lodged against her for celebratory gun fire.

“A case has been registered against Ragni, a resident of Hathras Junction area, under IPC (Indian Penal Code) section 25(9) (celebratory gunfire). Fearing arrest, she has absconded. We are on the look-out for her,” station house officer of Hathras Junction, Girish Chand Gautam, said to the outlet.

“We are also trying to identify the person who handed over the pistol to her.”

While celebratory gunfire is common in several states in northern India, it is prohibited under Indian law.

Indian law says that 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 February a 35-year-old woman who had come as a guest to a wedding in Uttar Pradesh’s Narwal district allegedly died after she was injured by gunshot wounds from celebratory firing, according to the Times of India.

In November a member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was arrested in Kanpur in connection with an apparent case of celebratory firing that led to the death of a bouncer at a wedding, reported Press Trust of India.