BUXAR: Under the glare of wedding lights and sound of celebratory music, joy turned into horror in a split second when an 18-year-old bride was shot at on stage during the ‘jaimala’ (garland exchange) ceremony at Chausa in Buxar district on Tuesday night, allegedly by a neighbour nursing unrequited love.The injured bride, Aarti Kumari (18), daughter of Nandji Mallah, was first taken to the sadar hospital where the doctors later referred her to Varanasi due to her critical condition.Police said she is now stable and undergoing treatment.The incident took place in Mallah Tola of Chausa nagar panchayat. According to Aarti’s family, a youth from the neighbourhood, who was allegedly in a one-sided love with her, carried out the attack. Aarti was to be married to a youth from Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh.On Tuesday night, the wedding procession had arrived from Sulemanpur village in Ballia, and the ‘jaimala’ ceremony was underway when the incident occurred.Eyewitnesses said a man with his masked face climbed on the stage and shot at Aarti. The bullet hit her stomach. The loud music initially drowned out the gunshot. Moments later, Aarti collapsed on the stage, triggering panic among guests.Family members said while being rushed to the hospital, Aarti repeatedly named “Deenbandhu” as the shooter.Locals identified the accused as Deenbandhu, a neighbour of the bride. Both families are neighbours. The bride’s family alleged that the accused had been pursuing her despite her lack of interest. “He loved our daughter, but she did not reciprocate. We never considered their marriage,” a family member said. The accused’s father, Ramashankar Chaudhary, claimed he was unaware of any such relationship.Some locals said the accused had been allegedly involved in a relationship with the girl for the past two years. They added that her marriage had earlier been fixed elsewhere, but was called off after the accused allegedly harassed the groom’s family.Soon after getting the information, Mufassil police rushed to the spot and began an investigation. Additional SHO Chandan Kumar said the case appears to be linked to a love affair.Buxar SP Shubham Arya said the bride is undergoing treatment in Varanasi and is now stable. Two persons have been detained for questioning. The main accused is absconding, and police are conducting raids to arrest him, the SP added.