Woman, 21, hit by bullet in celebratory fire at wedding, battles for life at hosp

Meerut: A festive wedding event at a village in Meerut turned into a scene of chaos and sorrow on Wed night when a 21-year-old woman was left critically wounded by a celebratory gunfire.The incident took place at Fakharpur Kabatta in Kharkhoda area during the baraat ritual of Sunil Kumar's daughter, a resident of Batta village. As the procession reached Ambedkar Park amid music and dancing, local residents, including women and children, rushed to their rooftops to watch the fanfare. In the middle of this, an unidentified baraati began to fire from a weapon.Jeshika Singh, 21, a villager, who was on the rooftop, was struck by a stray bullet. It grazed her neck before exiting through her shoulder. She collapsed, sparking panic and bringing celebrations to a halt. She was taken to a private hospital in Meerut, where her condition remains critical.The woman's family filed an official complaint against the unidentified culprit. An FIR was subsequently registered against an "unknown person" under BNS section 125 (rashness or negligence that endangers human life or personal safety), along with the Arms Act.Given that the incident involves members of two different communities, Kithore's circle officer Pramod Kumar Singh arrived at the scene with heavy police force to maintain harmony.Meanwhile, the outgoing SSP Meerut, Vipin Tada, said, "In the backdrop of this incident and the onset of wedding season, we've instructed all local thanas to maintain a vigil on marriage processions to avert similar cases."