Haryana Bans Carrying Firearms And Celebratory Gun Firing At Weddings

Following the death of an orchestra artist which came to light on 5 December 2016 from Punjab, and several other cases of deaths caused due to celebratory gun firing, the Haryana government has banned the carrying of arms and weapons for any celebrations or weddings. The ban has been invoked under Section 144A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

As reported by The Hindu, carrying the firearm and shooting it can lead to up to six months imprisonment.

Murder disguised as celebratory gun firing

Carrying firearms and firing them into the air is a practice in many parts of North India. There has been a steady rise in the number of accidental deaths caused due to this practice. Most recent of these has been that of a 25-year-old dancer who was shot dead in Punjab, videos of which went viral on social media. The accused were not allowed to dance with the women in the orchestra, which was immediately followed by the victim collapsing. This is being considered murder disguised as celebratory gunfire since it involves the son of Shiromani Akali Dal leader and his friends.

There have been many other fatal incidents of celebratory gunfire as well that have prompted Haryana government to impose a ban on carrying arms or shooting of a firearm into the air in celebration.

The State’s Additional Chief Secretary (home) Ram Niwas said, “It has been noticed that some people often indulge in celebratory firing during weddings after consuming alcohol. Taking serious note of such incidents, the Police Department has been directed to put a check on carrying of arms at wedding functions, in coordination with the district magistrate concerned,” as reported by The Times of India.

Last year the photographer’s association had moved a resolution to not to cover weddings where firearms were being used.

“We welcome this step as it was the much-awaited decision of the Government.” says Sanjay Kumar, a member of Panchkula’s photographer’s association, as reported by The Times of India.

The Logical Indian welcomes this move and hopes that other states with such practices also consider banning firearms from being used in weddings and functions.