GREATER NOIDA: Five to six rounds of celebratory firing, first into the air and then aimed at the ground, injured six people including a one-year-old boy during a wedding procession in Badalpur on Monday, police said

Teams are working to arrest the accused, are working to arrest the main accused, Rahul, a relative of the groom’s family who belongs to Bulandshahr district of the state. A second accused has not been identified so far.

“Rahul is on the run. He was likely firing from his licensed gun. We are collecting information about him and checking video footage of the wedding. Further investigation is underway,” said Yogendra Singh, assistant commissioner of police Central Noida-2, on Wednesday.

Those injured in the firing include a temple priest and two minors — all residents of Achheja village under Badalpur police station jurisdiction. They are Kiranpal Singh (78), Ashish Tiwari (55, temple priest), Shivam (13), Piyush Sharma (1), Dharampal Nagar (64) and a sixth person who has not been named.

Five of the six sustained minor injuries and received first aid at a local clinic and a nearby hospital. Kirpal Singh, with wounds to his legs, was operated on and is recovering at a hospital in the city.

Nagar told TOI that he was attending the wedding procession of two brothers, residents of Achheja village, who were getting married at the same ceremony.

“The grooms and the procession reached a temple in the village around 7:30pm on Monday. That’s when two people, including Rahul, started celebratory firing. They fired around 5-6 rounds in the air and suddenly Rahul carelessly turned the gun barrel towards the ground,” Nagar said.

The bullets hit the road and likely ricochet off the surface, creating chaos. Those injured were rushed to a nearby hospital and clinic, he said. The complainant Rakesh Kumar said his father, Kiranpal Singh, was merely passing by when some bullet fragments hit him. “He had shut his shop nearby and was taking a lift on a two-wheeler from a villager. As he was crossing the temple, some bullet fragments hit his foot and he started bleeding. Eventually I took him to the Sharda Hospital, where he was operated on and is stable,” he said.

Based on Kumar’s complaint, police have filed an FIR against the two accused under sections 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. Relevant sections of the Arms Act have also been invoked.

Celebratory firings are not uncommon in India. In December 2019, the central government amended the Arms Act to make all celebratory firings at gatherings, even with licensed guns, a criminal offence with punishment up to two years in jail and fine.