Wedding celebrations end in murder in Nagpur; three arrested

Celebrations at a wedding ceremony here took a tragic turn when a man was killed and four others were injured in an attack by a group of men over the issue of playing their favourite song by DJ, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place in the Kalamna area of the city on late Monday night.

Three persons were arrested on Tuesday night in connection with the attack, the police said, adding one of them has three criminal cases registered against him in the city.

The deceased was identified as Nikhil Haridas Lokhande (29), a resident of Panchasheel Bauddha Vihar, while the injured were named as Sonu Shahu, Monu Kamble, Vickey Dongre and Akash Lokhande, they said.

All were invited to the wedding by the bride's family, the police said.

The accused, Shubham Soni (21), Manoj Soni (24) and Rahul Babusingh Bhati (22) - all residents of Prem Nagar - were arrested on murder and attempt to murder charges, they said.

The accused were the friends of the bridegroom, said the police.

Inspector Vishwanath Chavan of the Kalamna Police Station said the incident occurred at Aman Lawn, where the marriage was taking place.

An altercation broke out between two groups over playing of a song by DJ during the wedding at around 9 pm, he said.

Members of both groups abused each other and during the fracas, Shubham Soni threatened Nikhil Lokhande with dire consequences, he said.

Shubham Soni left the dance floor and returned to the venue after an hour with his accomplices, Chavan said.

On spotting Nikhil Lokhande and his friends dancing, the accused attacked them with sharp-edged weapons, he said.

Nikhil Lokhande was stabbed in the stomach by the assailants following which he collapsed on the ground in a pool of blood, the police officer said.

His friends Shahu, Kamble, Dongre and Akash Lokhande also received stab wounds, he said.

All five were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared Nikhil Lokhande brought dead, the inspector said.

The injured are said to be in stable condition.

Chavan said the accused would be produced in a local court on Wednesday for remand.

Further investigation was underway, the police added.