A five-year-old boy has been shot dead during celebratory gunfire at a family wedding in India. The child, named as Arsh, was hit in the abdomen at Sundar Marriage Lawn in Surapur, Uttar Pradesh, shortly before a wedding procession was due to leave on Sunday evening.
Child hit at family wedding
Arsh was attending the wedding of Anurag Patel, a cousin of his father, Girivar Gopal Patel. According to reports, celebratory shots were being fired ahead of the procession when a bullet allegedly fired by the groom's brother-in-law, Ajay, struck the youngster.
Arsh collapsed among wedding guests after being hit. His family rushed him to the Community Health Centre in Kadipur, where doctors found he was in a critical condition.
Death and police investigation
He was then referred to the Government Medical College in Sultanpur for further treatment, but was declared dead on arrival. Police were alerted following the shooting and officers arrived at the scene to begin an investigation.
Kadipur circle officer Vinay Gautam said an investigation was underway and that the necessary procedures were being carried out for Arsh's body to undergo a post-mortem examination. Police have also launched a search for Ajay, who was reported to have fled following the shooting.
