Bride flees after firing gun at wedding

Brut India

Why do some families like to celebrate by firing guns? What makes it so dangerous?

Transcript

00:00This bride fired four shots with a gun as her groom sat beside her without flinching.

00:05Her video went viral and the 23-year-old bride fled after the police lodged a case and started looking for her.

00:11This happened in Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh.

00:17Celebratory firing was a common sight in UP.

00:20Such firing also happened in other states including Rajasthan and Bihar.

00:24People fired guns in the air to show how happy they were at weddings, birthday functions, festivals, etc.

00:33The practice was also a way for people to flaunt their power and status.

00:42Celebratory firing did result in many injuries and deaths.

00:46The thing is, it's illegal.

00:48But news reports tell a different story.

00:50Congratulations.

00:51In 2023, between January and early April, at least nine cases of celebratory firings had been reported in the news across the country.

01:00In Karnataka's Shivamoga, two people died after one of them tried to load a gun to fire it in the air at a New Year's Eve party in December 2022.

01:08Kids as young as one year of age have lost their lives in celebratory firings.

01:14And in these cases, no one actually intends to hurt another, but the bullets end up hurting someone, often fatally.

01:21Celebratory firing usually involves people firing straight up in the air.

01:25Most people believe it's harmless, but according to a Forbes report, it can be lethal.

01:29Like when the bullets start falling back after reaching a certain height.

01:33Even though they fall back with lesser speed, they have the capacity to injure and kill.

01:38In 2019, India made celebratory firings a criminal offence.

01:42Even if you have a licensed gun, you're not allowed to open fire.

01:45If you do, you could get up to two years in jail and or pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh under the Arms Act.

01:52Back in the Hasra's case, SHO Girish Chandra Gautam told Brute on phone that the bride was back at her in-laws' place.

01:58Investigation was underway and no arrests had been made until 20 April.

02:07For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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