Wedding season spurs aerial firing trend

Fireworks, firecrackers, deafening music also create public nuisance but police look the other way

HYDERABAD:

As the wedding season kicks in, the city sees an outburst of aerial firing, fireworks, and firecrackers at celebratory events. Adding to the public nuisance, revelers often remove the silencers from their vehicles and install massive speakers to blare music during wedding parties and baraats. Police, however, deliberately look the other way, saying they have other pressing issues to take care of.

Wedding halls and banquets are abuzz with activity as the season gets into full swing. Many people erect tents in their neighbourhoods to host mehndi or valima ceremonies. However, one perilous form of celebration is aerial firing. These celebratory shots have turned joyous occasions into mournful events, with accidental bullet discharges claiming lives.

Indiscriminate aerial firing during wedding ceremonies and related celebrations results in injuries from stray bullets each year in various parts of Hyderabad. Deaths continue to occur, with incidents like bullets getting jammed in pistols and accidentally discharging when removed. Yet, despite the recurring tragedies, the authorities remain indifferent until the wedding season is well underway.

In Hyderabad, the wedding season is currently at its peak, marked by the display of modern arms, thunderous fireworks, and explosive firecrackers during the ceremonies. Aerial firing and the deafening sound of fireworks resonate in neighbourhoods, inflicting fear and discomfort upon local residents.

Only two days ago, Irfan Qureshi sustained a gunshot wound in the Noorani Basti area under the jurisdiction of Pinyari police station due to aerial firing during a wedding celebration.

On another note, baraats are now accompanied by vehicles blaring loud music. These celebrants often halt at intersections, causing traffic congestion as they dance in the streets. The reverie subsides once the procession moves on, and traffic resumes. The blaring music, often barely audible to those within the vehicles themselves, becomes a torment for the surrounding neighbourhoods, highways, and intersections.

What is intriguing is that citizens across different areas have repeatedly lodged complaints about open aerial firing, deafening firecrackers, and excessive noise at weddings. Many times, police officers have witnessed these violations during their patrols. However, no action has been taken to curb this growing issue, and it continues to escalate.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2023.