delhi

Updated: Feb 28, 2018 22:57 IST

HT Correspondent

New Delhi

A 21-year-old bridegroom seated on a horse died in alleged celebratory firing in east Delhi’s Seemapuri on Tuesday night.

More than two bullets were fired, allegedly by a drunk man who was part of the wedding procession. One bullet hit the groom, Dipak Kumar, in the back of his head. A child, seated on the horse escaped unhurt.

Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara), said the man who fired has been identified as Adil, a resident of Shaheed Nagar in east Delhi. “Adil was a guest. Our teams are conducting raids to arrest him. A case under the relevant section of Indian Penal Code has been registered against Adil,” she said.

But family members alleged Kumar was murdered. They suspected the role of a neighbour who was allegedly against Kumar’s marriage.

Around 8 pm, the wedding procession was leaving his home in Seemapuri when the incident happened. “Suddenly, someone from in the procession began firing. A bullet hit Dipak on his head. He fell off the horse and collapsed,” said a police officer. He was rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur hospital, where he died around 2 am on Wednesday.

The family members staged a protest and placed the body on the main road of the neighbourhood. Senior police officers reached the protest site and pacified them by promising swift action against the ‘culprit’.

Kumar worked for a private bus operators at Anand Vihar. He is survived by his mother Radha Devi, brother Shiva and his wife, and two married sisters Sonam and Meenakshi.

Police said the suspect was a relative of Sonam’s in-laws. The family suspected his role in Kumar's death.