Gaurav Sharma, the deceased, was the bride’s cousin and lived in Ashok Vihar, New Delhi.

According to the police, the shot was fired by a youth, Rishi Yadav, who was accompanying the groom.

Rishi, a resident of Gurgaon, is said to be at large.

Gaurav’s father, Ashok Sharma, has registered a case at the Civil Lines Police Station in Gurgaon. The FIR says one of Sharma’s friends can identify the shooter if he is shown photographs of all guests present at the party.

The police said they are not sure about Rishi’s age. “He could be in his mid-twenties, as per the testimonies of the guests,” said Sub-Inspector Krishan Raj Singh, the investigating officer.

The incident took place around 10.20 pm on Saturday when both Gaurav and Rishi were standing on a raised platform, congratulating the newly wed couple, Ruchi and Neeraj Yadav. “Rishi was firing in the air. He was trying to reload the gun when an accidental shot killed Gaurav,” said Tahir Hussain, Station House Officer of the Civil Lines Police Station.

The bullet hit Gaurav in the chest. He died on the spot. Abhinav, his friend, said: “It all happened in front of me and I am sure I will be able to identify the shooter if I am shown pictures of all the persons present at the wedding.”

He said Gaurav was in fact trying to stop Rishi from firing the shots. “Since it was so crowded we were all afraid that a stray bullet might hit someone... and it did.”