Ara : Two persons died and five others were injured in an incident of indiscriminate firing at a wedding ceremony in Laharpa village under Agiaon Bazar police station area in Ara, Bhojpur district, late Sunday night.
According to police, the firing was linked to an old dispute between villagers over the groom’s car being given priority. Armed individuals, reportedly from the same village, opened fire during the ceremony.
The deceased have been identified as Lavkush Kumar (23), son of Surendra Yadav, and Rahul Kumar (22), son of Sanjay Singh–both residents of Laharpa village.
The injured include Pankaj Kumar (30) of Laharpa village, Appu Kumar (18), and Akshay Kushwaha (20), both residents of Bhuluni village. All five are receiving treatment at Ara Sadar Hospital.
Pankaj Kumar, one of the injured and an eyewitness, said, “I had gone to attend a wedding ceremony in the village. A dispute started over giving way to the groom’s car, and in no time, people started firing. They already had an old enmity. I and about four or five others were shot at and were injured.”
Praveen Kumar, a relative of one of the injured, added, “My brother was serving food at the wedding. Suddenly, some villagers started firing over an earlier issue, and my brother was hit.”
Upon receiving the information, Bhojpur Superintendent of Police Raj, along with a police team, arrived at the site and initiated a detailed investigation.
Bhojpur IT Cell DSP Saif Murtaza said, “In a wedding ceremony in Laharpa village under Agiaon Bazar police station, two parties opened fire due to a previous dispute, leading to the death of two individuals. The deceased are Lavkush Kumar and Rahul Kumar. Five others have sustained injuries and are under treatment at Ara Sadar Hospital. The matter is being investigated, and legal procedures are underway. The accused will be arrested soon.”
The incident has created an atmosphere of fear in the locality.