Shot Delhi bridegroom dies

A groom who was accidentally shot in the head at his wedding in Delhi has died of his injuries.

Indian weddings are often high-spirited

Tapesh Kumar Singh was shot by a friend who fired a gun to celebrate the event on Sunday night.

The bride is the daughter of a former Uttar Pradesh politician.

Mr Singh was taken to a nearby hospital but died early on Wednesday morning and the friend who fired the shot has been arrested.

A senior police officer in Dadri, Vijay Bhushan, told the BBC on Tuesday the incident took place close to midnight when the accused and his family came to bless the happy couple on the wedding stage.

Shooting into the air as part of wedding celebrations is quite common in northern India.

"The accused, Chaman Sharma, first fired in the air and then tried again to fire but this time, the bullet hit the bridegroom's neck and came out of his forehead," said Mr Bhushan.

Home video footage filmed during the incident showed Mr Sharma raising the revolver in the air, firing it, bringing it down and then adjusting it for the second shot - then it went off.

Many shots

The police said the video footage would be part of the evidence brought before court.

The hosts and wedding guests had already fired nearly 500 rounds in the air before the incident took place, according to police.

They said the canopy was damaged due to the firing by the guests, many of whom were drunk.

Mr Singh was getting married to the daughter of a former Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly member.

Several state politicians and ministers of the central government were present at the wedding.

Earlier, members of the bride's family say the accused did not mean any harm.

"It was just an accident and he even accompanied us when we went to hospitalise the bridegroom," said Pheere Ram, a member of the bride's family.