Celebrations gone wrong: Two grooms spend wedding night behind bars

They were arrested as their relatives let off firecrackers

KARACHI: Two brothers, who were getting married on Monday, spent their wedding night in police lock-up after being arrested for letting off firecrackers during the celebrations.

Faizan and Suffyan were sitting next to their brides when their family members opted for different means of celebration and merrymaking. The sky over PIA Garden on University Road seemed to be full of colours. Little did they know then that these would get the grooms arrested.

The two men, along with three of their relatives, were arrested for 'causing an explosion likely to endanger lives or properties'. Subsequently, they spent the night behind bars. The two brothers, who work as scrap dealers, were taken into custody at midnight from inside the marriage hall. "They are facing charges under sections 2 and 3 of the Explosives Substances Act," said Aziz Bhatti SHO Abbas Golarchi. "The excessive use of fireworks at the wedding created panic."

No cracker or explosives material, however, was recovered from the grooms' possessions. "Some remains of the firecrackers have been seized as evidence," said Golarchi.

According to the officer, while it was not an act of terror, it still is an offence.

However, Golarchi seemed to be taking a lenient approach with the case. "Our DIG has asked us to settle the case [as soon as possible] for the sanctity of their [wedding] event."

Legal opinion

According to a high court lawyer, Zafar Ahmed, the sections put into the case can lead to an imprisonment of 10 years of more. "It is unfortunate that grooms have been arrested," he said. "They did not fire the crackers themselves."

Raising questions on the credibility of the officer who booked them, he was of the view that implicating the men under the explosives act is tantamount to harassing them.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2015.