Tragedy struck a wedding function in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district, about 350 km from here, when celebratory shots fired by some drunk relatives killed two women and left four others seriously injured.
The incident occurred late on Thursday night during 'jaimala' (a ritual during which the bride and groom exchange garland) at Mukutpura Ahiraula village in the district.
According to sources, some relatives from the groom's side, who were drunk, started firing shots during the ritual. Six women, who were among the guests, were hit by the bullets.
They were rushed to a hospital, where two women succumbed to their injuries. Four others were stated to be in a critical condition, sources said.
As the shots were fired, the guests ran for their safety and within a few minutes, the entire venue was completely deserted. Sources said that the rituals were performed amid a pall of gloom later.
Police said that they had apprehended two persons, identified as Jaspreet and Krishna Pal, both residents of the same village.
Although the state government has imposed a ban on celebratory firing, they are quite common at wedding functions in the state. Earlier also there had been incidents of people being killed or injured in celebratory firings.