A government-organized mass wedding for 383 couples in Rath town, Hamirpur district, Uttar Pradesh, devolved into pandemonium on 25/11. The event, intended to be a solemn occasion, saw hundreds of guests pushing and scrambling for snacks, leading to injuries and widespread chaos.
As organizers began distributing snacks, guests surged towards the stalls, creating a chaotic free-for-all. Videos widely shared on social media depict men, women, and children jostling, overturning cardboard boxes to grab sweets and fried noodles.
The peak of the disorder was captured in footage showing a groom abandoning his bride to charge into the crowd, snatch snack packets, and then flee the scene.
The scramble resulted in multiple people being pushed to the ground and trampled. More seriously, a child suffered burns when hot tea spilled onto their hand during the jostling. Despite the presence of local parliament members at the event, no security personnel were on hand to control the situation.
Hamirpur district authorities later acknowledged organizational errors and dispatched a medical team to assist those injured.
The incident garnered millions of views and angry comments across India. Many online users described the scene as "wedding looting," sharply criticizing both the crowd's behavior and the organizers' shortcomings.
"The happiness of the bride and groom became the lowest priority. Truly shameful for a welfare program," one reader commented on Free Press Journal. Others questioned the accountability of local officials for allowing a solemn event to descend into such a disaster.
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The chaotic scene of guests scrambling for snacks at the mass wedding on 25/11, in India. Photo: Free Press Journal |
This incident is not an isolated occurrence; similar issues have plagued free distribution events in India previously. In early November, a comparable altercation broke out at another wedding in the country over fried chicken, resulting in one person being hospitalized.
Bao Nhien (According to Free Press Journal/Bhaskar English)
