BAREILLY: After a spat over playing a "wrong song" at a wedding ceremony in Lakhimpur Kheri, the groom's brother was shot dead by the bride's relatives in front of guests during the ‘varmala' ritual on Thursday night.
The marriage was immediately called off and police later registered an FIR under BNS section of murder and two persons were arrested.
Kheri SSP, Sankalp Sharma, said on Friday: "There was a verbal spat between the groom's brother Ashish Verma and the bride's cousin Sumit Kumar over a song on the DJ. The matter was soon resolved by elders on both sides. But an hour later when the bride and groom were exchanging garlands around 1am, Ashish was shot by Sumit and two others. He was taken to the district hospital in critical condition, where the doctor declared him dead. We've taken Sumit and another person into custody. Prima facie, the accused was under the influence of alcohol."
The incident took place at Harikaran Marriage Lawn on Behjam Road in Lakhimpur city. The wedding procession of Jitendra Verma, son of Krishnakant Verma from the neighbouring Sitapur district, arrived around 10pm on Thursday. The bride Sadhana's side was also from a town in Sitapur, and both the families had decided to solemnise the marriage in Lakhimpur as most of their relatives live there.
"I came to attend my cousin's marriage and we were all happy. Then, a tiff over a wrong song took an ugly turn, and the bride's relatives threatened to kill Ashish. They brought a pistol to the venue and shot at Ashish during the main ‘varmala' ritual," said Pankaj Verma, the groom's cousin.