Buxar (Bihar): A violent incident disrupted a wedding in Bihar’s Buxar district on Tuesday night when an 18-year-old bride was shot on stage, allegedly by a neighbor. The victim, Aarti Kumari, was participating in the garland exchange (varmala) ceremony with her groom in the Chausa area when the attack occurred.
While Aarti stood beside the groom, a masked man reportedly climbed onto the stage and fired a shot into her abdomen. Due to the loud music playing at the venue, many guests did not immediately realize a shooting had occurred until the bride collapsed. She was first rushed to Sadar Hospital in Buxar but was later transferred to a trauma center in Varanasi, where she remains on ventilator support in critical condition.
The suspect has been identified by the victim and her family as Deenbandhu, a neighbor who had reportedly been pursuing her for nearly two years. Family members alleged that the attack was the result of a one-sided obsession, noting that Deenbandhu had previously objected to the marriage and had even harassed the groom’s family, leading to the cancellation of a prior wedding arrangement.
The groom and his wedding party had arrived for the ceremony from the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. Following the shooting, the accused fled the scene and remains at large. Local police have launched an investigation and are conducting raids to apprehend him, while also questioning his family members regarding his whereabouts.
