A wedding celebration in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district turned tragic after a man was killed and four others were seriously injured in alleged celebratory firing, police said on Monday.
The incident took place on Sunday night in Lamehta village in Gazipur, where a wedding procession from Diwan Ka Purwa had arrived. Panic broke out after a licensed single-barrel gun allegedly went off during the celebrations.
The deceased has been identified as Dheeraj Kevat (50), a resident of Banda district. He suffered critical injuries and later died during treatment, according to the police.
Four others -- Haripal, Rahul, Jagatpal and Kamta -- were also injured and referred to Lala Lajpat Rai hospital in Kanpur.
Police said all the injured are stable and out of danger.
Fatehpur's Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Manglik said police received information about the firing around 12.30 am, following which police teams rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to hospital.
Preliminary probe revealed that Sumit Tiwari alias Pappu (45), a resident of a nearby village Jamohe, had attended the wedding carrying a licensed firearm. He allegedly pointed the gun towards a drone camera during the celebrations.
As people nearby tried to stop him, the weapon accidentally discharged while he was lowering it, injuring five persons, the SP added.
The accused fled the spot after the incident.
Police said the body has been sent for postmortem examination and a case has been registered at Gazipur police station, the SP said, adding, teams have been formed to arrest the absconding accused.