What started as a joyful family gathering turned into a stampede for survival within seconds.
THE OLD ENEMY RUNS IN FRONT OF THE GUESTS
The wedding, organized by the family of a jhula (swing) contractor, had attracted several local gang figures.
Police said rival groups led by Shubham Motta and Ankur, both facing multiple criminal cases, were under the same roof for the first time in months. They clashed almost immediately.
A heated verbal exchange turned into a fistfight, despite the guests’ best efforts to separate them. When emotions reached their peak, guns were drawn.
Witnesses recalled the “crackle” of the first shot, followed by 20 to 25 bullets fired in quick succession as families ducked under tables and sprinted for the exit. “It was chaos everywhere,” said one participant. “People were screaming and running, no one knew where the bullets came from.”
SHOOTERS FLEE; TWO KILLED
In the hail of bullets, two wedding guests, Vasu Chopra and Neeru, were fatally shot. Two others were taken to DMC Hospital with gunshot wounds.
When the police arrived, the gunmen were gone.
Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma said six men have been arrested so far and “six to seven” are still on the run. The wedding hall has been sealed as a crime scene and a case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act.
VIOLENCE AT WEDDINGS IN INDIA
The Ludhiana massacre comes amid a disturbing wave of deadly violence at weddings across the country.
In Bihar’s Khagaria district, groom Mohammad Irshad died after being shot in the neck during a festive gunfight while dates were being distributed after the nikah.
In Delhi, a CISF head constable allegedly shot 17-year-old Sahil during a wedding procession. Police say he may have come for dinner or tried to take money during ghurchaddi. He died before doctors could save him.
The investigation intensifies
Back in Ludhiana, detectives investigate why two heavily armed rival gangs were invited or allowed to the same wedding. Officers review camera footage, question guests and follow bullet trajectories to determine who opened fire first.
“They argued, they got into a fight, and then they emptied magazines into a room full of families,” a senior officer said. “It could have been an even bigger massacre.”
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